Secrets of the Past
by Blaze the Dragon
Summary: A disturbing prophecy, detailing Malefor's return. This time, Spyro and Cynder won't be able to stop him alone. They'll need the help of unlikely allies, and an old friend's return. Collaboration between my mentor Shade105 and myself. R
1. Prologue

**Well, where to begin? This is the prologue of Secrets of the Past. Warning, it will be rated M for future chapters.

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The Celestial Isles were quiet as usual. Not a thing was stirring; there were no intruders to be repelled by the defense mechanisms, no dragons to prove worthy of their mastery of an element... it was deathly quiet. Within the massive sanctum of the Chronicler; the new dragon chosen, the former Guardian of Fire, Ignitus, was busy perusing the tome that belonged to the purple dragon. Many other books lay strewn across the floor; he had been busy reading whatever he could about the past of the nemesis of the dragons, Malefor.

"It's hard to believe it has been five years since Malefor fell. It seems this world will finally be at peace, for a time. Though as history often reminds us; peace is never permanent," the now periwinkle Ignitus remarked. His eyes pored over the pages of the book, which had grown in volume over the last half-decade. He stretched his body a bit, the joints of his body popping as the tension within them was released. "It's only been five years, yet in my solitude, it's felt more like a century."

His new psychokinetic abilities that had been bestowed upon him upon taking up the mantle of keeper of the history of the dragons had proven to be useful. It was a simple matter to just call a book to him, as opposed to walking over, his easily discernible limp slowing him down slightly, and plucking the book from the wall. He casually flipped the pages towards the beginning; towards the section that held the information concerning Spyro's family, his true family. As his light blue eyes absorbed the information from the page that was titled "Parents," the book fell to the ground. A look of pure astonishment impressed itself upon his visage.

"Had I known... had I known that day, I would have heeded Spyro's advice, and turned back," he muttered.

His large orbs closed as he shut the book using his powerful abilities of manipulation via the mind, the last thing that passed into his view was the letter "t" that was within the father's name. He once again called the book of Spyro's predecessor to him. The tome was large and considerably heavier in comparison to Spyro's. In large, black writing, Malefor's nomenclature was imprinted upon the cover of this chronicle of the dragon's life, including both of his deaths. The first, when the earth was split and formed the Mountain of Malefor; the dragon was crushed as his power grew out of control, and his soul remained imprisoned in that desolate pit. The second was his defeat at the hands of the young amethyst dragon and the onyx dragoness five years previously.

As he continued to leaf through the book, pages were torn from it, the information on the pages lost even to him. "Who would remove these pages of Malefor's past? And why?" the guilt-ridden dragon pondered. He merely shrugged the thoughts aside, turning instead to the most recent pages. Oddly, there were pages past his defeat. Their content caused Ignitus' eyes to shrink in fear. "I... I thought the worst had already befallen us five years ago. But... according to this, the worst is yet to come."

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**Shade105 and I will be working together on the later chapters of this story, as mentor and student. I'm excited to be doing so, and it'll be great to work with him. He's a good friend of mine.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Well, here it is, the first chapter. I've worked extensively with my mentor and editor, Shade105 on this. And with his permission, his season names have been used.**

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"No Spyro. That's not what the right way to do it!" Cynder shouted. Her emerald eyes closed in frustration; this was the nineteenth time today she'd had to correct him. "Haven't you been paying attention to Terrador's instructions? You're supposed to build a foundation for the rampart first!"

The amethyst dragon winced as her abrasive words sounded in the air. His mind wasn't on work today; the Guardians had just received news that the thief that had been plaguing the marketplace of Warfang for the past year struck again only yesterday. And on his watch for the culprit, no less. It was a severe blow that the criminal had slipped by him, and he was unaware of the theft until only this morning, when they were informed.

"I'm sorry Cynder. I've just been thinking about what happened. You know, with that thief and all," Spyro answered, a dejected tone in his voice. His violet eyes fell upon the ebony dragoness, the subtle curves of her body standing out the most. "I can't believe he was able to strike again. I should have kept a better watch over the marketplace."

Cynder merely sighed, weary of the day's work. For the past five years the Guardians, Spyro and herself have been rebuilding Dragon City. The damage it had sustained from the siege, and most of all the Golem's attack, was colossal. "You're being worked to death Spyro. You're only one dragon, and twenty years of age at that.

"They have you doing arduous repairs on the city all day, and then they expected you to be able to keep yourself alert enough to detect, and apprehend, that thief?" she questioned rhetorically. Her visage snapped upwards to gaze at him, frustration ever present in her luminescent eyes. "If only Thiriander was the head of the Warfang City Patrol; he'd actually get things done. And you wouldn't have had to stay up all night keeping an eye out for that crook."

The purple dragon nodded. She was right; he was exhausted. Having to work all day yesterday, and staying up all night was bad enough. But now, he had to work on repairs again. The Guardians tried to contest his orders, but the council of Warfang overrode them; the draconic council held the majority in the vote.

"Apparently his name is Blaze. He's been described as stealing only food, water, blankets... things that are necessary for survival. Not only that, but he's been robbing the stalls of enough supplies for _two_ dragons," Spyro remarked. A sigh escaped his lips; something was gnawing at his mind. If this dragon was stealing to keep himself, and another, alive... was he really as much of a "plague" as the council made him out to be? To tell the truth, Blaze seemed more of an unfortunate victim in all of this. Something had to be done; a kindness had to be shown.

"Food... water, and blankets?" Cynder asked, puzzled. That piece of information hadn't been divulged to her. _It would seem the council's been hiding information from me. Don't they trust me? I've been working to rebuild this place for the past five years!_ she thought, incredulous. Suddenly, the significance of the filched objects dawned on her. "Spyro... you don't think that-"

"That he and another have been living on the streets, with no home at all?" the purple dragon interjected. The realization that had fallen upon her came to him as well. "He hasn't been stealing to harm the merchants, he's been stealing them to survive! And he's trying to help another survive too, someone who's in the same position as him."

Cyril, who was supervising them, took note of their halt they had taken from their work. A scowl impressed itself upon his face; if they stopped, it would delay their progress further. He'd managed to grasp the day off for them tomorrow, especially for the young violet dragon. Though the council put conditions on it; they had to finish the new wall by sunset today. As he padded over to the pair, their faces turned to look at him.

They could see the annoyance in his eyes and shuffled a bit, nervous. His anger, ever since Ignitus perished in the inferno five years ago, was aroused much more easily. Not to the point where his rage would be as explosive as the Master of Fire's, yet still a force of its own.

"Why have you two stopped? You still have half of this wall to build, and you only have another two hours to do so. It'll be sundown at that point," the Master of Ice rebuked, his tone steely. His cyan eyes peered at the duo as they stood still. The coldest regions of Dante's Freezer couldn't hope to match his unyielding gaze, their piercing effect would unsettle all but the hardiest of creatures.

Upon the cyan dragon's utterance of the time period they had, quizzical countenances graced upon the young dragons' faces.

"Two hours? Why do we have until sunset to finish this wall, Cyril?' Cynder inquired. Her head tilted slightly; a habit of hers that she had developed when asking a question since the corrupt persian indigo dragon's defeat half a decade ago.

"I asked the council to do you two a courtesy; you two would be given the day off tomorrow from repairing the city. They agreed, but they set a condition for you two; you must finish this wall by sunset tonight," he lamentably answered; he had been hoping that he wouldn't have to blackmail them, use the information as incentive, but that plan was thrown to the wind due to the dragoness' questioning.

The purple dragon looked to Cynder, beaming at the thought of finally having a day off; a prospect that hadn't happened in the past six months of work. "Okay Cyril, we'll finish the wall. We haven't had a day off in months."

The Guardian nodded, agreeing with his sentiments. "That's why I petitioned the council to give you the day off tomorrow. Now I suggest you two make haste; the more you talk, the less time you have to finish your work."

Cynder pulled Spyro aside, dragging him back to the wall by his horn, eliciting numerous "Owws" from him. As she brought him back to the rampart in need of repairs, she released her grip on him. As her emerald eyes flashed in the sunlight, she noticed that a scowl had formed on his face. "Sorry about that Spyro. But I just thought of something we can do. We should pull a prank on Cyril."

An apprehensive look graced itself upon the male's visage. His head solemnly shook; the voice inside his head told him this was a bad idea. A _very_ bad idea. "I don't think we should Cynder. Cyril's tried to do a lot for us. And we could get in a lot of trouble; he's become even more strict ever since-" The thought struck him harder than any physical blow; Ignitus' sacrifice still ingrained into his memory.

Not a single day went by where he didn't think about the elder dragon. He was like a father to him; the very first dragon he had met, and the one who told him his true origins. _Why was he so stupid that he wouldn't listen to me!? Why didn't he take my advice and turn back? Volteer's lessons on energy consumption have brought it all into perspective,_ Spyro thought. His lustrous eyes closed as he thought about the loquacious dragon's teachings.

As Volteer had explained to them during lessons about more technical aspects of the world, there are certain rules that will always be followed, that are incapable of being broken. As much time as it takes for energy to be lost, it takes just as long for it to be regained. It had only taken them ten minutes to get halfway through the Belt of Fire. _Instead of just standing there and talking to us, he could've just turned back like I suggested. It only would have taken another ten minutes. Twenty minutes to regain all of his strength and send both of us through all the way through, _the angry purple dragon mused.

His impassioned thoughts continued to mill through his mind; anger the strongest emotion by far. _Honestly! I would think that Volteer would tell him about the laws of energy. That choice of his was so... so selfish! To make up for his failures? Those things that happened were beyond his control. He shouldn't have blamed himself. And because he did, he's gone!_

Cynder's brow furrowed as he trailed off, fully aware of what thought had sprung to mind. She too, missed the fatherly guardian; he was the most accepting of her, after all. Even after all she had done as a puppet to that hateful dragon. She had no delusions, however, that he was as close to her as he was to Spyro. Now that she looked back on that day, on that tragic event, she realized how callous her words had been. _Spyro, let it go._ How those words she uttered all those years ago haunted her, even to this day.

"I'm sorry Spyro. But hey, this is Cyril we're talking about. He's not the leader of the Guardians, Terrador is. He would give the harshest punishments. The worst Cyril can give us is give us five more hours of work everyday for the next week, after our day off," she whispered.

The purple dragon's jaw dropped at the very suggestion of it. "Cynder, are you nuts!? That would give us twelve hours of work a day!"

The onyx dragoness merely giggled, amused by his reluctant nature. "Oh come on Spyro. You need to do something well, you know, _fun_ for once! Come on, follow my lead. It'll get your mind off of the amount of work we have today."

Spyro could only smile nervously; as much as he didn't want to do this, she was right. And who knows, maybe Cyril would be in a good-humored mood today, and actually appreciate the joke.

Cynder moved to his side, and licked his cheek. The dragon's face contorted into a smile. "Well Spyro, after we finish this up, hows about we do a little 'overtime."

The male dragon's eyes shot open, stunned. She hadn't told him what exactly the joke would comprise of. It would seem she had intended for improvisation, a real double act, where they would play off of each other in perfect rhythm. He nearly died of laughter, had he not known this was for a practical joke. "Cyn, that sounds excellent," he spoke. "'Overtime' sounds amazing."

Cyril had begun to walk about to inspect their work. However, hearing their words, he froze in mid-step. Thoughts flashed through his mind, chilling memories. They were young by his standards... Cynder hadn't even finished growing yet; she still had half a year left until she would be fully developed.

Spyro's nervous smile grew to a more humorous one, acting seductively. "Well, what are we going to do?"

Cynder was satisfied to hear this, at least he understood the joke. "Well, we'll do... stuff." Her tail swung in enjoyment. "I promise you will enjoy it."

The Master of Ice's head perked up at the last utterance, his eyes widening in shock. He quickly whirled about in place, his eyes blazing with fury. "ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

The sudden outburst caused the two dragons to jump in shock; they hadn't expected this. The dragoness looked at Cyril, trepidation in her eyes. "R-relax Cyril, we were only j-joking!" she stammered. Upon seeing that the dragon's flickered dangerously; even more so than they previously had, she realized she'd said the wrong thing.

"A joke? You think that joking about mating is funny, young dragon?" the ice Guardian spat, his anger nearing its peak. His teeth were clenched as he breathed heavily, his chest rising and falling with each breath taken in and out. A frigid mist emanated from his nostrils; his control over his ice breath beginning to slip as the cold air escaped from his nose. "Do you have any idea how serious such a topic is!?

"It's not something that's done on a whim. You two are still too young to fully understand. What if you two did mate, and Cynder was gravid? What then, hmm!?" he sharply questioned. Upon seeing the frightened expressions on their faces, he closed his eyes, his frustration only slightly fading. "Cynder is not yet fully grown, she won't be for another six months, on the fifth day of the Season of Earth. Which is still six months away from her date of birth in the Season of Ice. If she were to become gravid before she was fully grown, the results could be disastrous!"

Spyro timidly looked over to Cynder, a grimace impressed upon his visage. "How grievous could the results be, Cyril?" he dared himself to ask. Whatever information the cyan dragon held, the purple dragon wasn't sure if he could handle it, depending on what the potential risks were.

"The egg laying process is a painful one. The egg stretches and pulls at the tissue inside of the dragoness as it is displaced. In a fully grown dragoness, it's agonizing, but not usually life-threatening though it could be. In a dragoness that isn't fully grown... the mortality rating is ninety percent!" Cyril continued. His face was contorted in fury. "In a young dragoness, the egg would literally tear the tissue inside of her body. The internal bleeding would be nearly impossible to stop in time. It would most likely _kill_ Cynder, or any dragoness who was still growing, if they were gravid before they were halfway through their twentieth year."

The color drained from the two dragons' faces; the revelation stunning beyond words. Cynder's eyes seemed to pop out of her head. Her body began to tremble at the very thought of dying in such a brutal fashion. Suddenly, a question arose in her mind. "Cyril... how do you know so much about this? Terrador and Volteer never told us about this."

The ice dragon closed his eyes, keeping an air of calm about him. However, in his mind, turmoil waged itself. Memories of what he had seen and heard flashed through his mind. "It's simple; you never asked them. And you never acted the way you just did around them. Therefore, I had to be the one to tell you.

"It is also an egg guardian's job to know anything that could happen to a gravid dragoness. I myself have seen this a few times. It's a chilling sight. I can never unsee the gruesome images," he concluded. Cyril hastily turned away from them.

The strange behavior of the Guardian made Spyro suspicious; the feeling that Cyril was hiding something from them aroused itself within him. He merely shrugged off the thought, however. The older dragon's secrets were his own; his personal life was none of their business.

"To be honest, I'm considering that if you two do finish before sunset, that I shouldn't give you the day off after all. The stunt you pulled was unacceptable," the Guardian of Ice coldly remarked. As soon as the words parted from his mouth, he regretted saying them.

"Cyril please, that's not fair. We didn't know! And Spyro needs the rest, you know that as well as anyone! He worked all day, and then pulled an all-night watch for Blaze. He's exhausted. Please, we're sorry," the black dragoness pleaded. Her jaw was hanging slightly open, disbelief clutching at her heart that the cyan male would say such a thing.

Just as the Guardian was about to answer, a gust of wind swept up. A navy blue dragon lit upon the ground between the elder dragon and the two guilt-ridden young dragons. An expression of joy graced upon the visages of Spyro and Cynder upon recognizing who this dragon was.

"Thiriander!" the duo exclaimed in unison. With gusto, they ran to him, their gait rapid as their excitement fueled their steps.

Surprisingly, other dragons survived the war against Malefor. Thiriander was but one of them. The two young dragons thought highly of him; though he was wise beyond his age, it was tempered by humility. He would always, after his shifts, spend time with the two, and help them with their work. "'Spyro, Cynder, so good to see you both again. And you as well, Master Cyril. How has your day been, all of you?"

"Very well, Captain Thiriander. Any news on the thief?" the proud wyrm answered. His gaze shifted to the young dragons; particularly Spyro. Now that he thought about it, he was too harsh on the two. How could they have known the dangers when they had never been informed before by any of the Guardians? _If Ignitus was here, things would probably be done differently. I'd certainly receive a reprimand if he found out about my behavior just now, and the fact that I was using threats to teach them, as opposed to actual instruction._

The captain looked to Spyro and Cynder, flashing them a toothy grin. His deep, cobalt blue shade eyes flickered in amusement, having seen and heard the prank from earlier. "That prank was very good though, I must say. Greatly amusing."

Cynder giggled at Thiriander's compliment; at least someone had a sense of humor, unlike Cyril.

Thiriander fixated his gaze upon the Ice Guardian, a solemn expression on his face. "There is no news on Blaze. However, we've come up with a plan. Next time he's seen in the marketplace, we have a setup planned though.

"And we've learned more about him. We found records detailing his life. He was apparently adopted by a family, I believe you recall what happened. After all, there were two eggs adopted from the temple twenty years ago, before Gaul's raid."

Cyril began to recall that day. The event was unprecedented, no one had ever chosen to adopt an egg that was located at the temple before. "Yes, we all remember. A scarlet egg and an ice blue egg, if I recall correctly. Continue then, Thiriander."

"As I was saying; the foster parents of those two perished of illness when they were each only four years old. They were adopted by two different families. They were then forced to live at an orphanage, where they met each other for the first time, and became inseparable friends," the navy blue dragon began. He sighed, feeling pity for the thief, due to what he would say next. "The orphanage was shut down four years later. The two were never re-adopted, and they've literally been living on the streets for the last twelve years."

The purple dragon gasped in shock at the last statement. "I... I never knew. So, is his friend the one he's been stealing extra food and blankets for?" It all made sense now. Thinking about the situation... it was no wonder the criminal would steal; it was what he had to do for himself and his friend to survive.

"And if he is caught, how serious would the charges against him be?" Cynder asked, curious. Anxiety rose within her, nearing its breaking point, where it would crash as a wave would upon the shore. No home for twelve years? That's no way to live, for anyone. _I wonder if they've even discovered their powers._

The dragoness turned her head to look at Thiriander, an inquiry burning within her head that she wanted, nay, _needed_ to ask. "Thiriander, did you hear about the deal Cyril made with the council?"

Thiriander nodded in response, his eyes narrowing in frustration. "He'll be charged for all his thefts over the past six months. Personally I think the council is made up of a bunch of pompous fools. A 'wise' dragon of each element, and yet they're too blind to use common sense in this situation.

"A dragon can do more work, and do it more efficiently, if they get enough rest, days off in between. You two haven't had a day off in six months, and then they have the audacity to give Spyro the night watch for Blaze when he isn't even in the City Patrol," the captain continued to rant. He snorted, a cloud of mist issuing forth from his nostrils. "Which is why I've come to help you two. They never said you couldn't have help, did they Cyril?"

The Ice Guardian beamed; Thiriander had found a loophole. "Well, they said that Spyro and Cynder couldn't have help from any of the moles, or dragons who work in construction. You're neither of those, yet you still have the skill of an accomplished mason."

The compliment brought a smile to the captain's face. "Thank you Cyril. Now then, let's get started. We only have an hour and a half until sundown."

The two young dragons and the navy blue elder dragon made haste to the unfinished wall. Spyro couldn't help but look at Cynder, a grin on his face; with Thiriander's help, they were sure to finish on time. He could hardly wait for the next day.

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An hour later the three looked upon the finished wall beaming. Beads of sweat rolled down their scales; they had been working with tremendous fervor. It was still half an hour until sundown.

Cyril looked at Thiriander, a smile on his face. "Thank you for helping them Thiriander. They need the day off tomorrow. If you hadn't come by, they'd be at it for another forty-five minutes."

As the navy blue dragon was about to speak, the cry of a bird of prey sounded out through the air. Lifting his gaze up, Thiriander noticed that it was a falcon; more specifically, one of the falcons trained and utilized by Hunter. The avian's sharp eyes scanned the city below it. From its viewpoint, it could see the extensive damage Warfang suffered during the war, though six eighths of it had been repaired. Wrapped around its leg was a roll of parchment.

Its eyes fell upon the navy blue dragon and swooped down rapidly. Its wings spread, remaining motionless as it drew ever closer to Thiriander. As it lit upon the dragon's shoulder, it clicked its beak impatiently.

"A message from Hunter... what could it be about?" the large dragon asked. Unfurling the parchment from the falcon's leg, he quickly snapped it open. His eyes began to pore over the lines written upon the leaf of paper, etched in a flowing style of print.

**Thiriander, urgent news. We've spotted Blaze; he's in the marketplace as you are reading this. It would seem as if he's looking at the stalls, sizing them up to see what he will pilfer next. We need you here immediately, to spring the trap. Make haste my friend, he could strike when we aren't ready. You're needed for this operation.**

**- Hunter**

Thiriander looked to the other three, a stoic gleam in his eyes. Blaze wouldn't be getting away this time... not like all the others. It was astonishing how the thief was able to escape him; he had to chase Blaze through Warfang on several occasions. "Blaze has been sighted in the marketplace. It's time for the trap to be sprung. Hunter is waiting to capture him as soon as he tries to steal anything.

"It's truly a blessing that Prowlus sent him to Warfang as the Avalarian ambassador. And even more fortuitous that he chose to join the City Patrol of Dragon City," the captain remarked.

Bidding the Ice Guardian, the purple savior and the black dragoness farewell, he took off, flying eastward towards the marketplace.

In the market square, a male dragon with scarlet scales, a black underbelly, black spines, and horns and burning scarlet eyes was scanning the many shops that littered the area. His scales had long lost their brilliance; caked with dirt. He'd seen better days, better years. _Okay Blaze... no big deal. It'll be easy, this guy's just _begging _to be robbed!_

He casually walked towards the meat vendor's... it had been a long time since he had been able to steal quality meat for himself and Frost. What luck; the shopkeep was busy with another customer. This would be even easier than he had thought! He silently slipped towards the stall, unaware of the danger.

The cheetah ambassador was crouched behind the stall, hidden from sight. As soon as he saw the claw of the culprit, Hunter would pounce.

Blaze lashed at a decent sized slab of meat, only for his paw to be grabbed from below, and behind the stall. "What the!?"

The cheetah had him, gripping tightly. He quickly shifted his weight, pulling the surprised dragon over the stall and flat onto his back on the stone floor of the street. Moving quickly with a taut length of rope, he forced the thief's legs together and skillfully tied them together. The dragon looked like a stuck boar, and was hog-tied like one as well.

"Blaze, you are hereby placed under arrest, for petty theft. You will be brought before the dragon council for trial and sentencing when the date is set. Bail will be set upon arrival at the prison," the feline stated.

Thiriander stepped out of the shadows, having arrived ten minutes prior.

As the eyes of the thief met the dark blue dragon, they narrowed in anger. "You... what's the matter, Captain Thiriander? Tired of chasing after me through the city, so you turned to a cowardly tactic? Ironic... you always preach about honor, yet you're nothing but a coward."

The captain scowled, the comment having struck a nerve within him. "You accuse me of having no honor, yet you are a petty thief." Removing the rope, he quickly replaced the shackles on Blaze's legs, ensuring he wouldn't get far if he ran. "Now get moving, you're coming with me."

The two members of the City Patrol began to lead him off, the thief's head bowed in shame. He'd been caught... he'd never been caught before. Where did he mess up?

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**Yeah, as for that whole part with Spyro and Cynder's prank, Shade105 came up with what to say, as I was baffled. R&R please.**

**Until next time... later!  
**


	3. Chapter 2

In a brilliant blur of scarlet, a heavy form fell to the cold stone floor of one of the cells in the prison. As Blaze shook his head in an attempt to clear himself of his delirious state, he made note of the dark, gloomy setting of the prison.

"Well, for all intents and purposes, it has its own charm," the thief sarcastically quipped. He rolled his scarlet eyes in annoyance, he picked himself up from the chilly stone beneath him. _And he didn't exactly have to throw me to the ground either. Proud brute. I wouldn't be surprised if he has either a superiority or inferiority complex, if not both._

The unknown figure in question of the prisoner's thoughts loomed forth, revealing himself to be a cheetah. In the dim light of the prison, his vivid forest green fur didn't stand out very much. The cheetah wasn't exactly intimidating at first glance; a rather average build. But his eyes were another story. An off-setting hue of sapphire blue, they flickered about the room before falling on the dragon he had thrown into the cell.

"I am Vard, the warden of this prison," the lawman remarked.

"So the warden himself has chosen to grace me with his presence? Aren't I the lucky one?" Blaze snipped.

"I wouldn't say that exactly. I'm far more... severe, than mere prison guards or that fool Thiriander," Vard retorted.

"That, sir, was a rhetorical question," Blaze bit back. His leathery lips curled upward in a smirk. "Or do I have to define the word rhetorical for you?"

In a lightning swift motion the cheetah warden reached down to the belt of his brown armor. On the sienna belt fastened around his waist was a black baton. With a quick cut through the air he brought the head of the truncheon to the dragon's face. The cheetah smiled wickedly upon seeing that his blow had a profound effect on the prisoner; Blaze shook his head, dazed.

"Don't be smart with me boy," Vard coldly stated. His sapphire eyes narrowed as he looked down on Blaze. His clawed right hand tightened its grip on the baton in his hand. "You criminals are all the same. Whether the lawbreaker is a petty thief or a murderer, you are all the same. You are all scum, and you must be brought to justice."

Blaze groaned, somewhat stunned at the show of force the warden had shown for a single sarcastic comment. "Your view of crime is rather black and white. If I may be so bold; why is that? Why has your take on crime taken on such an extreme? Did a criminal take away your pride at some point?"

"An innocent question I suppose," the forest-hued cheetah answered. He turned his back on the dragon standing in front of him. "But yes. That is the case. It happened fifteen years ago. I was fresh out of adolescence and had just joined this 'illustrious' faction. Twenty-three years of age to be exact.

"There was a thief... he was young, much like you. I'd seen him mug an older woman and I gave chase. I took that kid down. But then... he told me a sob story. About how his parents died and he had no home and had to steal to survive. I had pity on him and lowered my guard," he continued. His blue eyes filled with sorrow as he looked back at the dragon. "That was a fatal error. The thief drew a knife he had hidden.

"Its blade was as sharp as that of a well-honed and perfectly balanced sword. For someone so young he had near-surgical precision. He thrust that blade through my armor, right between my legs, and took my pride," Vard added. His hands had balled themselves up into fists during his reminiscence. The air about him was tense; teeming with his rage. "The worst part of it all was that after I had collapsed to my knees in pain, the thief sneered. I'll never forget his words.

"'I can't believe you fell for it. What a sentimental fool.' I was deceived. He just wanted the money all to himself. He was hoarding it. And I paid heavily for my foolishness. I was engaged at the time. When my fiancée learned of what happened she immediately called of the wedding and left me. No cheetah female would ever want a male who can't give her a child," the warden solemnly finished.

Blaze looked at Vard with pity. "Can you at least... perform, if you were to ever be in a relationship with another?" A silent nod from the proud warden assuaged Blaze's fears a bit. "Well... not all females care only about someone who could bring them a child. Some yearn simply for companionship. For love. But to take out your frustrations on all criminals just isn't fair.

"It's about as fair as what that thief did to you. Not every criminal is like that. I steal because I have to in order to survive. I've been living on the streets for twelve years. I used to work with my love, who is also forced to live on the streets, for other clients. It all ended last year... with an incident I am forced to remember every day. I am not like that other thief; I am sincere with what I am saying," the scarlet dragon finished.

Suddenly, with another quick swipe, the dragon was struck again by the warden's baton over the head. Blaze looked at Vard, confused. He didn't think he'd said anything to offend the warden again. His confusion soon was subdued, replaced only by pain as the cheetah rained down a barrage of strikes with the truncheon upon him.

"What did I do!" Blaze asked, stunned.

The warden looked at Blaze, rage burning in his eyes. "You have no idea how foolish that was of you to say. You sounded just like that kid who caused my misery in the first place! You think you know suffering? What it's like to be violated? You have no idea." With a menacing gleam in his eyes he ended his assault. It brought no comfort to the dragon though; Vard was moving closer.

"Stay back!" Blaze demanded. His scarlet eyes widened in panic. He was defenseless; unlike other dragons who knew what element they could use and who were capable of defending themselves, Blaze had no idea what element he possessed. He couldn't fight back; he hadn't been trained to do that at all in his life.

Unfortunately Vard would not be deterred. He continued to advance on the prisoner, malice in his sapphire eyes. His clawed left hand shot out, grabbing Blaze by his neck, before he pinned the dragon to the wall. "No. You are going to know what it's like to be violated in some way."

The cruel warden placed the baton beneath the dragon's tail. The wooden black length was poised at the prisoner's vulnerable opening under his tail. "Are you ready for pain untold?"

Blaze wanted nothing more than to scream out in terror. It would be futile however, as he knew. No one would be able to hear him. The dragon could only brace himself for the pain that was sure to come.

But it never came, surprisingly. Behind the dragon a shout of pain was audible, just as the pressure on his neck was released. As Blaze turned his head back to look at Vard he noticed the cheetah was clutching his wrist, obviously pained. The baton clattered to the floor away from the cruel warden.

"What?" Blaze asked, stunned. And then he saw the reason for his salvation; a small shard of stone had pierced Vard's unprotected wrist. As Blaze looked around the room he noticed seven additional figures. Four elder dragons; one a deep shade of green with a brown underbelly and curled horns. Another was a bright yellow in scale color, with an indigo underbelly and horns. The third was a cool shade of cyan, with lavender icicle shaped horns and an underbelly to match.

The fourth was one Blaze knew all too well from an hour earlier; Captain Thiriander. The young dragon had never seen this look in the captain's eyes before. It was one of shock. Or of outrage. It was too difficult to tell, Blaze's mind still lost in a haze of surprise and terror.

In the older dragons' company were two dragons of the same age as the scarlet dragon. One, a male, had brilliant amethyst scales, violet eyes as well as golden horns and an underbelly of the same hue. The other was an onyx dragoness with soft emerald eyes.

Standing beside Thiriander was a cheetah with golden fur with bright jade eyes. Clad in brown armor with a yellow lining, it was complimented with a crimson cloak. He looked upon the warden with disgust. "You're a disgrace."

In a flash of navy blue Thiriander burst into the cell, his eyes burning intensely. A fan of flames rushed forth as he opened his mouth, burning the wooden baton to cinders. "Corrections Officer Vard, you are hereby placed under arrest for assault and attempted rape."

The gruff leader of the Guardians stepped forth, a stoic expression on his visage. "We were on our way here to talk to Blaze. That is when we began to hear the later parts of your conversation with him. We heard the blows from the baton, the shouting, and Blaze's panicked shout."

"What I would like to know, however, is how you became a corrections officer in the first place. After all, a correctional officer is expected to control their emotions," Cyril icily stated.

As Vard tried to flee the scene, he found himself pressed to a wall by the irate captain. "What do you care about him for Thiriander! You're the one who brought him in after all!"

"That doesn't mean I hate him. I just did my job. To be honest I pity him; he's been through a lot," Thiriander pointedly responded. "And the crimes he committed do not merit the punishment you would have dealt him just now."

Spyro walked into the cell cautiously, looking at Vard warily. As he reached Blaze, the purple dragon noticed that the poor guy was trembling. "Are you alright?"

Blaze's eyes nervously darted around the room. He didn't know who to trust; Vard seemed like he was appreciating him a bit until he snapped. Trust isn't easily gained after all. "I... I think so."

As his gaze fell upon the one who had just walked over to him he smiled. Finally, a sincere smile, as opposed to the sardonic smirks he had given off in the past year. The Guardians were here, as were Spyro and Cynder, the two who had defeated Malefor five years previously. He knew he was safe.

"On behalf of the City of Warfang, the charges being brought against you have been dropped. On one condition Blaze," Terrador commented. His stern gaze fell upon the scarlet dragon, pity evident in his eyes. "You must perform six-hundred hours of community service by helping us rebuild the city. Should that be finished before six-hundred hours have been completed, we will find something else for you to do.

"And, as we are all aware of the situation you and your friend have been in over the past twelve years, we have asked the council to place you in our custody. They have approved the decision, and you will stay with us in the new temple, created here," he added. A warm smile graced his visage. "You and your friend now have a place to call home."

The news startled the young dragon. His mouth fell agape at the very thought of being able to escape all this. The petty theft, the cold dirty streets. The months of trying to survive with little to no money. Tears began to trickle from his eyes; tears of joy. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Volteer nodded in approval, looking to Cyril with a smirk on his face. "I believe you know the conditions of our bet. A bet I just won, I might add," he whispered. The look of annoyance that materialized on the Ice Guardian's face was priceless.

"Yes yes Volteer. I know. But, might I add, that you still have to win another three-hundred-and-forty-three bets to break even with me. Out of three-hundred-and-forty-five bets this is the only one in which you have been victorious," Cyril cuttingly answered. Upon seeing the Electric Guardian's grin fade into a frown, a smirk lit upon Cyril's visage.

Cynder looked at the scarlet male with curiosity, having never seen him in the flesh before. His frame was so slight and bare. He was much too thin for it to be healthy. "You don't look so good. You're so thin... emaciated even. Just like your friend. I believe she said her name was Frost. We've already met her and brought her to the temple."

Blaze simply shook his head, amused by Cynder's remark about his physical condition. He didn't think it was _that_ obvious. His fiery eyes fell on the onyx dragoness. "Well... that's what happens when you only get to eat twice a week. If you're lucky that is.

"I'd keep my thefts spaced out so it would be harder to catch me. And the majority of the food went to Frost. I gave most of what I had to her, because I put her ahead of myself. Always have," he finished. He could feel the others looking at him. _With pity most likely._

The purple savior strolled over to the street urchin. "Well, we'll just have to fix that then, won't we?" A smile flashed onto Spyro's visage.

From behind him a gold flash of light zipped through the air, darting about. As it stopped in front of Blaze's face, the form of a golden insect could be seen within the glow. More specifically, a dragonfly, with blue eyes and a big mouth for such a tiny creature.

"Are you all nuts? He's not thin, he's just another fat dragonfly like all of you guys!" the dragonfly quipped.

Spyro merely shook his head, annoyed with his "brother." "Sparx..." he remarked.

The scarlet dragon merely lifted his right forepaw off the ground, shrugging the comment aside. "Well... I wouldn't exactly say that dragons having more bulk than dragonflies to be a bad thing. For instance, we're able to keep ourselves warm in the winter. You, on the other hand, would freeze in an instant."

Sparx couldn't help but grin at Blaze's comment. "Oh _finally_ a dragon with a sense of humor! At least you can take a joke, not like these stiffs." As he saw the scarlet dragon smile, the dragonfly's own grin stretched wider. "And how long have you and your _beloved_ been going out now?"

"We've known each other since we were five years of age. But we've only been dating for the past four years. Why do you ask?" Blaze inquired. He couldn't help but raise an eyeridge, suspicious as to why Sparx would ask such a question.

The dragonfly's lustrous blue orbs seemed to shine with an even more mischievous gleam in them. "Oh... just wondering really. So... have you two–"

"SPARX!" Cynder exclaimed. Her frustration with the golden, annoying insect only increased after this most recent display of blatant disregard for others' privacy. She could see Sparx cringe at her outburst.

Blaze's head lowered out of mortification. Were he not a scarlet dragon, a blush would be visible on his visage. His eyes cast toward the stone floor, he opened his mouth to speak. "No, we haven't. Even living on the streets, we know that it would be too dangerous to do anything of that sort before she is halfway through her twenty-first year.

"Besides, we wouldn't want to risk a child, and have him or her born on the streets with us. It wouldn't be fair," he finished.

"Well, if the pleasantries are over with, perhaps we should return to the temple hmm?" Cyril edged in, his impatience clear in his tone of voice.

Terrador merely rolled his jade eyes, annoyed with Cyril's interruptions. "Yes Cyril, we'll head there now. Oh, and Thiriander, the other guardians and I have discussed this at great length.

"How would you like to be the new Fire Guardian?" the militant guardian asked.

Spyro's jaw fell agape upon hearing the question Terrador asked Thiriander. Sure, he liked Thiriander, and he was very capable with fire. But still, a replacement for Ignitus? Things were happening too quickly for the purple dragon's liking. He turned around, away from the Guardians, and began to walk out of the prison.

Cynder, seeing the dark mood Spyro was in, followed closely after him, concern etched upon her visage. When they were outside of the Guardians' hearing range, she tapped him on the back with the flat side of the blade-like appendage on her tail. "Spyro, what's wrong? Why aren't you happy for Thiriander? He is your friend after all. Or... is this about Ignitus?"

The purple dragon simply turned to face her and nodded at the end of her last question. "It's not that I'm not happy for Thiriander. It's just... Ignitus was the closest person I'll ever have to a father. A biological father. And now he's gone. I just... I feel that if someone else takes Ignitus' place, then it means everyone will have forgotten about Ignitus. Like they've moved on.

"It's like they don't even care about him anymore. None of the Guardians talk about him in any way, and they were his best friends. Terrador especially. How would you feel if you died, and no one ever thought of you, or talked fondly of you? If everyone just forgot?" he asked.

The onyx dragoness moved closer to the young dragon, nuzzling the side of her head against his in a caring gesture. "Sometimes it's just painful to talk about someone you cared about who's gone. Sometimes it's painful just to think of them, as it brings great sorrow."

"But that's just it Cynder; even if it's painful, it's an insult to the person's memory not to think of them when they're gone. Or even talk about them. Ignitus told me five years ago, back in the core of the world, that when a dragon dies, his spirit is still connected to the world. His spirit is still around, even though we can't see or hear it, but he can see and hear us. And he'll know, obviously, that no one is talking about him or thinking about him.

"And that will be more painful for him than for us, the living, to think or talk about him," Spyro reasoned.

Cynder couldn't help but look at Spyro in shock; she'd never heard him speak so philosophically before. It seems the fallen Guardian has had a profound impact on the young male, even after death. "I... I guess I never thought of it that way," she conceded.

Although the young dragons could not be heard by the Guardians, they forgot an important detail; Thiriander was younger than the Guardians, and his hearing was still as sharp as ever. As the purple dragon's words entered the captain's ears, a slight frown formed on his face. _I never even considered taking the position. I was going to turn it down from the beginning. But after what Spyro just said, it's clear he's still still heart-broken over the loss of Ignitus; he's not ready for someone to fill his father-figure's old position,_ he mused.

The navy blue dragon looked at Terrador, a gleam of confidence in his eyes. "Thank you for the offer Master Terrador, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline. My place is here, with the Warfang City Guard. I couldn't take on a role as esteemed as a Guardian's. I just don't think I'm ready for that.

"Besides... I'm happy where I am. I love this city, and I would protect it with my life," he concluded.

Terrador was disappointed, obviously, but he didn't let it bother him too much. He simply nodded in understanding with the captain. "I expected you would decline, though I in all honesty felt I should put the offer on the table on the off chance you would accept. However, that isn't the only bit of good news for you.

"As you obviously know, the previous head of the Warfang City Guard resigned, though no successor was ever found. The council has been deliberating and, upon our recommendation and after months of discussion... you have officially been named the new head of the Warfang City Guard. The council asked me to deliver the message to you," Terrador informed the navy blue dragon.

Needless to say Thiriander was rendered speechless. After all these years, the position he'd sought for was now his. He was now the direct superior of the Warfang City Guard. But, more importantly to him, it also gave him an established leadership role and a position of great importance within the city; he was now able to vote in council affairs, just as the Guardians could. He could now have some say as to how Spyro and Cynder should be treated in regards to working on repairs of the city. And he was determined to side with the Guardians on their position of trying to ease the workload the young dragons were given.

"Well, I guess the days of calling you 'partner' are now over," Hunter jokingly remarked. He placed a paw on the joint where the navy blue dragon's left foreleg met his body. "Now I'll have to start calling you 'sir'."

A hearty chuckle escaped the superior as he shook his head in amusement. His eyes however remained locked on the Earth Guardian. "Terrador, if I may, I need to speak with you of an important matter."

The green dragon answered with a simple nod. His gaze then turned to Cyril and Volteer, a subtle strength in his gaze. "Take Spyro, Cynder and Blaze to the temple. I will meet you there when I have finished speaking with Thiriander," he stated in his gruff voice.

Cyril and Volteer nodded in response, looking to Blaze. The three then walked out of the prison in silence, meeting up with the two adolescent dragons outside. And soon the five of them walked south, towards the location of the new temple.

The Earth Guardian looked to Thiriander once more, a bemused expression upon his countenance. "Now then Thiriander, what did you want to speak to me about?"

The navy blue dragon sighed as he was asked by the Earth Guardian to reveal what he himself wished to tell Terrador. His dark blue eyes looked at Terrador with a fire of determination that burned so brightly the jade dragon only saw it in one other person before; Ignitus. "It's about Spyro... and about your offer to me of being the new Fire Guardian.

"He's still attached to Ignitus. I mean, why wouldn't he be? Ignitus was the first dragon Spyro ever met. He told Spyro of his heritage. He... was like a father to Spyro and now he's gone. And although you and the other Guardians haven't noticed; Spyro is feeling the way a young adult put into his position would feel. Lost. Alone. Betrayed. Hurt. Furious."

Terrador stood still where he was, confused more than he was before. "Why would he feel hurt and betrayed? Ignitus showed only compassion for the young dragon."

The last statement of the militant guardian only elicited another sigh from the head of the Warfang City Guard. "That... is the problem. Spyro views Ignitus' sacrifice as unnecessary. He deems it as such because of what he and Cynder have been taught by Volteer about the basic laws of matter. The laws of energy more specifically. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred. With that reasoning, if Ignitus turned back, due to the three of them being halfway through the Belt of Fire, it would take just as long for Ignitus to regain the energy as it took for him to use it.

"With that argument he could have sent Spyro and Cynder through from a safe location. Looking back on it, Spyro also deems the action as selfish, as Ignitus did it mostly to 'atone' for his 'mistakes' when they were actually events no one could have stopped. His anger extends to you and the other Guardians as well," Thiriander continued.

Again, Terrador only grew more confused; as questions were being answered, two more appeared when one was answered. "To us? For what cause?"

"Spyro... he believes you, Cyril and Volteer have forgotten about Ignitus. He believes you've stopped thinking about him; Spyro was given spiritual guidance by Ignitus just before he repaired the world. Something along the lines of a dragon's spirit continuing to exist within the world even after death. Spyro believes it to be true, and that Ignitus would surely be dismayed to learn that his closest friends don't think or speak of him anymore.

"I think... I think you should talk to Spyro. He needs someone to look to as a father again; I'm not saying you can replace Ignitus, but at least try to be there for him. And he certainly seemed to be bothered when you offered me the position of Fire Guardian," Thiriander responded.

Terrador didn't know what to say; Spyro had never told either him or any of the other Guardians about his pent up anger towards Ignitus, nor had he mentioned his fears of Ignitus being saddened to learn that the Guardians supposedly weren't thinking of their deceased friend. His jade eyes shifted first to the ground, as if the answer could be found on the cold stone floor of the prison. Finally, after a moment's pause, he looked back at Thiriander. "I will speak with Spyro. But a question, if you may: did you decline the offer of Fire Guardian because you genuinely weren't interested, or because you wished to spare Spyro's emotions on the matter?"

Thiriander didn't hesitate to answer; "I honestly wasn't interested. I thank you for the offer, but as I said, I don't believe I'm ready for such a position."

Though the Earth Guardian suspected something, he decided not to pursue the navy blue dragon with any more questions. "Very well Thiriander. Farewell, we'll see you soon. A word of advice though; Blaze doesn't have a father figure, and you genuinely seem to care about him. Perhaps you could spend time with him. Maybe some guidance is just what he needs."

Without another word the emerald-hued dragon walked out of prison towards the temple, leaving Thiriander alone in an uncomfortable silence.

Ignitus was once again perusing through a volume within the sanctuary that was now his domain. This time however, it was the book detailing Cynder's life. The leaf of parchment within the tome was detailing her family.

"Let's see... I've always wondered who her parents were," the keeper of knowledge stated.

As his powder blue eyes peered at the names of the ebony dragoness' parents, they widened in astonishment. There, as clear as day, was her father's name; a name he knew all too well.

"Volteer?" Ignitus asked, stunned.

And when his eyes fell on the name belonging to Cynder's mother, he noticed a subscript.

"Aria: Deceased. Cause of death... decapitation," the periwinkle dragon solemnly recited. Instinctively he called the book belonging to this dragoness to him, flipping to the last page in the book. "Killed... by Gaul."


	4. Chapter 3

The group of six heading back to the temple –that being Volteer and Cyril with the purple and black dragons they had been looking after for years, the newly welcomed Blaze and the insect "brother" of Spyro, Sparx– were quickly finding themselves annoyed with the incessant chatter of the golden dragonfly. Especially Blaze, who was the target of Sparx's endless stream of questions. Mostly into his past.

Of course Blaze didn't mind the questions at first; who was he to think curiosity was a sin? But now he began to regret telling the dragonfly about his past, as it only made Sparx continue to pester him for more information.

_What have I gotten myself into?_ the scarlet male asked in his thoughts. He eventually began to just tune out the loquacious insect, trying his best to ignore all the questions. That is, until he heard the question he'd hoped wouldn't be asked.

"So how did you become a thief anyway?"Sparx questioned. He noticed the venomous gazes shot at him by Cynder and the two Guardians accompanying them, and turned to face them instead. "What?"

"Can't you see that he's uncomfortable with answering that? I mean, just look at him Sparx!" Cynder snapped. To make her point, her emerald eyes shifted to the form of the scarlet dragon. Etched onto the male's visage was a pained, pensive expression.

Spyro turned his attention to Blaze, making note of what Cynder had pointed out. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to. It's obviously not a pleasant memory."

Blaze simply shook his head, closing his eyes solemnly to fight back tears. "No... after the trouble I've caused all of you over the past year, you should know. But you're right Spyro, it's not a pleasant memory."

The cluster of beings stopped, everyone's attention turned to the scarlet dragon. The Guardians, to be sure, had given each other a glance, unsure what may be said. But if it was truly as horrible as the young thief made it out to be, did they really want to hear it? Not that they had much choice, as the male opened his maw once again, ready to regale them with his tale.

"To start off, I lived with my parents until the age of four. Well, adoptive parents really, but I digress. They succumbed to an illness that they ultimately lost the battle against. So, with nowhere else to go, I was brought to the orphanage," Blaze began. He looked to each of them, making sure to make eye contact as was considered polite when telling any sort of story or presenting information. "The orphanage wasn't exactly a pleasant place to live; it was underfunded, the shelter and food were sub-par at best, etcetera. I didn't really have many friends there, save for three: Frost, whom you have all met, a black dragon by the name of Ombre, and an ice dragoness by the name of Stella."

Cynder's head perked up at the mention of another black dragon. _I thought I was the only one,_ she mused.

Spyro never took his gaze from the speaker, his violet eyes gleaming with interest. The tale was interesting so far, and not too different from his own. There was, however, a major difference; the purple dragon's own adoptive parents were still alive.

"Of course, though, the orphanage closed four years later. Ombre and Stella were adopted within those four years, the former being adopted by someone rather mysterious. As for Stella, she was adopted by a wealthy family, and she's been living in the lap of luxury. Frost and I though, were not so lucky. With no other orphanages open in the city, we had to survive on the streets. There just weren't any families looking to adopt," the scarlet dragon continued. He ensured that his eyes were looking to each of the others listening to him. "As I said, Frost and I had to live on the streets. For the first four years, we got along well. People tend to have a soft spot for kids, and seeing us out there obviously tugged at their heartstrings. But of course, when we were twelve that ended.

"She and I started to get jobs, working as servants for those who would hire us. Seventeen to eighteen hours a day, on average, with very little pay. But we didn't care; whatever pay we got was better than nothing. Whatever they needed, we did... with a major exception. We adamantly refused any work that had any implications of mating within the last few years, being of age. Of course, we'd be demanded for it, and Frost and I would walk out then and there. It's been so hard keeping clients lately, when all they want is a one night fling, instead of looking for actual love," Blaze added.

Spyro and Cynder's bodies tensed at the dragon's words. It was really that bad living on the streets; worse than they expected. For such a shining, reputable city, this sort of thing was going on? They looked to each other, guessing correctly that they were each thinking the same thoughts.

Volteer's eyes widened in shock; he'd never expected this sort of thing to have happened. As he turned his gaze to Cyril, he noticed a cross expression on the ice dragon's visage. _Those clients were adults... they should know the ramifications of what they'd be offering. Especially the males to Frost. If they were propositioning her for the past few years... don't they know that the gravid state would most likely kill her due to her young, undeveloped body!_

The scarlet dragon looked at them all, a sigh escaping his lips. "And then... that brings us to last year, and why I became a thief. Frost and I were hired to work for a dragon of noble status, an aristocrat. He of course had a mate, also a socialite. While our client was away one day, Frost and I were cleaning their chambers as was asked of us. And then the dragoness walked in. She offered to pay me for my 'services' as she called them. It wasn't difficult to see what she wanted, and so I flatly refused.

"She responded. Violently. She charged at me, and pinned me to the ground. I couldn't push her off; Frost and I hadn't had a thing to eat in a week, so I was unbelievably weak. And this dragoness was taught how to defend herself in case someone tried to violate her or abduct her for ransom. Frost tried to get the dragoness off, but it was no use. I was saved only by the fortuitous arrival of our client. Well, saved from violation anyway," Blaze added. He could see the looks of bemusement on everyone around him. Everyone, of course, but Cyril; he appeared more outraged than confused.

"What do you mean by that?" the ice guardian sharply asked, his blood beginning to boil. The audacity of the dragoness made him seethe with annoyance. _A dragoness of noble blood should know better than to behave in such a crass manner._

"My would-be-violator quickly fabricated a story, seeing that she was caught. She twisted the events around, labeling me as the one who attempted to have their way with the other. She claimed that she tackled me to stop me. Frost and I both fervently denied this, but the poor fool believed his mate. He didn't press charges, simply ordered me to leave. He and that harlot then spread my name throughout Warfang as a deviant, and as a result no one would hire me again. With less income flowing in, I had to turn to stealing in order to provide for us," Blaze remarked. He gave a sigh, looking at the ground in frustration. "And that's why I turned to thievery. All because of a lying, unfaithful dragoness who destroyed my reputation."

The five all looked at him in shock, though no one was as shocked as Cyril. His body trembled slightly as he seethed with rage. The purple dragon could sense the anger building up within the Ice Guardian, and shuddered. _He's starting to get Ignitus' temper. I wonder when this started to happen,_ he mused. He looks at Cyril, a sinking feeling developing in his gut. "Cyril? Is something wrong?"

The cyan dragon looked to Blaze, his gaze unyielding stone. "Who was this dragoness? What was her mate's family name?" His pale blue eyes peered intently into the scarlet dragon's, sending a chill down the young dragon's spine.

"Th-Their surname is A-Aeras, sir," the dragon stammered, unsettled by the elder dragon's piercing, cold stare. He averted his eyes from Cyril's visage after giving the information, unable to keep looking at the glacially cold dragon. "Wh-Why do you ask?"

"I'll be back soon... I have some trash to deal with," the ice dragon responded. Wordlessly he took off into the sky, his cyan form quickly shrinking as he flew further and further from the group. It was only half a minute later when he vanished from their sight altogether.

The golden dragonfly hovered in front of the scarlet dragon's face, his arms crossed before his chest. He shook his head and chuckled. "You were beaten by a _chick_? Oh man... that's just rich!"

At Sparx's statement the ebony dragoness clenched her teeth, outraged. _Why that little..._ she thought. She glowered at the insect, seething with hatred.

"Sparx, here are the facts: I was weak and emaciated from malnutrition. She'd been trained to defend herself, meanwhile I've had no training, be it for combat or self-defense. And third, she was like a dragoness possessed," Blaze succinctly and calmly responded. At least, as calmly as he could, with his anger rising inside.

The purple dragon simply shook his head. "Sparx... you do realize that Cynder was standing right here when you said that, right? And she doesn't look too happy..."

Sparx instantly froze up as he heard his older brother's statement and groaned. "Why do I have such a big mouth?" he muttered. He reluctantly turned his head back to look at the dragoness, and noticed the semblance of disgust and fury on her visage. "And... I'm out of here." With that he flew off to the temple as quickly as he could, screaming in terror.

Running close behind him was the onyx dragoness. "Get back here you coward!"

The cyan dragon lit upon the ground outside of the Aeras home. He looked at the door, eyes devoid of emotion, and rapped on the door. _She won't get away with this,_ he mused.

The door opened soon after. Standing in the doorway was a dragon of a slightly darker shade of cyan than the Ice Guardian. "Cyril? What are you doing here cousin? Not that this isn't a pleasant surprise, of course."

"Ahh, Soran, it's so good to see you again. I thought I'd stop by. Is your mate home? I needed to speak with her," the Guardian answered. His voice betrayed no sense of his anger towards the dragoness there.

"Yes, she is. I'll call her in here," Soran answered. He opened his mouth to call to her, when he was quickly silenced by Cyril.

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to speak with Traea alone," Cyril stated. He looked at his cousin, his eyes now reflecting the anger that burned within him; a change that was noticed by the darker cyan dragon.

Is... is something wrong?" Soran asked, concerned. He tilted his head slightly. "I've known you too long Cyril; it takes a lot to make you angry, and I can see that you're absolutely furious right now."

"Yes, there is actually. I believe you recently had two adolescent dragons in your employ within the past year; Blaze and Frost," Cyril began. He noticed the grimace that darkened Soran's face at the mention of Blaze's name. "Now I've heard about the incident involving Blaze and Traea."

"Yes, how he tried to violate her," Soran bit back, furious.

"You're wrong about that Soran. Blaze tried no such thing," the Guardian retorted. He sighed hesitantly. "Traea tried to seduce Blaze, but he would have none of it. I've talked to Blaze about this."

"You'd believe a street urchin over your own cousin's mate! Whatever happened to you? We're blue blood Cyril; you, Traea and myself. Why would you believe someone as lowly as him?" Soran snapped, his own anger starting to build.

Cyril looked at Soran, baring his teeth as his anger grew stronger still. "Have you forgotten Spyro, Soran? He's a purple dragon, yes; but he came from humble origins. He was raised in a swamp by dragonflies, and yet he is nobler than any aristocrat. Not in blood, but in heart. And I see that in Blaze. The two are kindred spirits, I believe.

"He has suffered through much. Why would he risk throwing away his reputation and rather meager existence by having an affair with his client's mate when first of all he has his own beloved, and second of all it would only backfire on him? It defies all logic!" he continued. He advanced on Soran, his eyes blazing with sheer rage. "Think Soran! Both Blaze and Frost said that Traea tried to violate him. And yet she was the only one who gave that story that Blaze tried to violate her.

"If he really tried that, don't you think Frost would have ran out of there, devastated that her beloved was planning to cheat on her?" he asked. His anger was starting to fade slightly. "And I believe him because I can see that he's a wounded dragon crying out for help. Now, if you don't mind, I need to talk to Traea. You can either remain blind to your mate's infidelity, or you can help me restore that young dragon's reputation that you and your mate destroyed. He hasn't been able to get a job all year because of your mate's damning accusation, and had to resort to thievery.

"He was nearly violated in prison Soran; by the warden, to make matters worse. We are of noble blood, that is true. But noble blood means nothing if we are not noble of heart as well. We have to set the example my cousin," Cyril finished. He turned his back on his cousin, disappointed. "Now... where is Traea? I have an offer for her."

"She's... she's in our room," Soran stated. He watched as the Ice Guardian departed for the master bedroom. When the cyan dragon was out of sight, the owner of the abode closed his eyes, a dark, sapphire blue compared to the pale blue eyes of Cyril. _Is it... true? Have I been a fool this whole time? Maybe Cyril's just... no... no he wouldn't. He's always been sure that what he knows is correct before confronting others with that information. He's proud... but he's not a liar and he doesn't fling false accusations._

_But... if she tried to violate Blaze all those years ago... does that mean that...?_ he mused. He shook his head, and stole away to the portal leading to his chambers, though made certain not to walk in. Instead he waited at the wall beside the door, and listened.

From through the door Soran could hear the sound of a window being opened and someone jumping out. As if that sound wasn't strange enough, what came afterwards was even more shocking.

"So... I see you really are a harlot Traea," Cyril icily stated. He closed his cyan eyes and shook his head in annoyance and disappointment. An uneasy silence filled the chambers of Soran and Traea as both the Ice Guardian and the dragoness did not speak. "I mean really... another dragon in your room, mating you, despite the fact that your mate is in this house? Either you're very stupid or just nonchalant and heartless. And by the way... I know about what happened a year ago. With those two young dragons who were hired by my cousin as servants. How you tried to violate Blaze, and when you were almost caught, you twisted the events around.

"And here you are... betraying my cousin yet again, after all he's done for you. You're a disgrace to your noble bloodline," the cyan dragon icily added. He advanced on the lecherous dragoness, furious. "Now then... I have an ultimatum for you. Either you clear Blaze's name by recanting your accusation that he tried to violate you. You can simply say that you two tripped and rolled into each other, which is certainly possible. Or..."

"Or...?" the silver dragoness asked, trepidation in her voice. She looked around the room, dumbstruck. How could she have been caught from what happened a year ago? And caught in this situation as well, no less.

"Or I go public with your infidelities and reveal the entire truth to Warfang. Including the part where you first tried to seduce Blaze, and then tried to force yourself onto him. That's if you don't recant your accusation within seventy-two hours," Cyril threatened. He looked back at the door, sighing wistfully. "Cousin, I know you've been standing there for a while. Come in. And see just what your mate has been up to."


	5. Chapter 4

Soran strode into the room after opening the door. To his left, by the door, he saw Cyril standing there, glowering at Traea. Soran looked at the dragoness and noticed green scales on their bed. In addition, he saw secretions there. Reality fell hard on the dragon as the illusion of his mate being loyal came crashing down. "So it's true..."

"Soran I—"

"Be silent, you lousy harlot... I can't believe this. My mate cheats on me, and she even has the _audacity_ to do so while I'm right _here_, in our own home!" the outraged dragon rhetorically asked. He sighed and shook his head, his sapphire eyes shut behind his dark cyan eyelids. "Tell me something Traea... that incident a year ago, with Blaze. How did it really happen? As of right now, I'm having serious doubts about your story."

The silver dragoness looked at her enraged mate, suddenly fearful. "It's as I told you Soran—"

Soran looked at Traea with annoyance. "Don't give me that. I still don't believe you. Here's why: at nineteen years old and living on the streets, Blaze would have nothing to gain from a tryst with you, as proven by us ruining his reputation and depriving him of further work. Second, he had a romantic interest, who told the same story as he did. If he really tried to cheat on her, as my cousin told me, do you really think she'd defend him? Tell me the truth."

Traea closed her eyes tightly and looked away. "What Blaze and Frost told you back then... it was true."

A huff came from the dark cyan dragon as he turned back toward the door. "Pack your things. I want you out of here by the morning. Go back to your family, if they're still around. You're no longer welcome here in my home. As far as I'm concerned, we're no longer mates. And it'll be official once I take it up with the council.

"In addition... I'm going to publicly recant our accusations of Blaze... and reveal the true course of the events," Soran said. He looked at the dragoness, a cruel gleam in his eyes. "You will know what it has been like for Blaze, what it's like being a pariah."

The silver dragoness' mouth fell agape at Soran's statement. "Y-You would—"

"Yes, I would. After all, you did the same thing to an innocent. The way I see it, the guilty party must be the one to suffer the consequences, not an innocent," the dragon sharply answered. He stopped as he reached the doorway. "Indulge me by answering this question Traea: why the infidelities?"

"Because... because you wanted to have a child, and I couldn't give you one," Traea answered. She looked down at the bed, distraught. "I had thought that, perhaps if I had become gravid through another, then I could give you that child, and we'd raise them as our own. You see, although I am infertile, I was told by my doctor that perhaps enough magic could stimulate them back to life. Your magic however is limited. It wouldn't be enough. So I sought out those who had strong magical auras.

"Magic can be temporarily transferred through a dragon or dragoness' fluids, be it in the form of saliva or others. For one so young, Blaze had one of the strongest magical auras I've felt. Well, other than Spyro and Cynder. His paled in comparison," Traea explained.

Cyril grunted at the dragoness' rationalization. _She's right on the dot there. Magic can be transferred through fluids. And a dragon's essence would have the magic go straight to her infertile eggs, rather than through the entire body and only a little bit being transferred through saliva in a kiss._

The Ice Guardian continued to leer at Traea however. "Yet there were other options. You know that the guardians themselves have strong magical auras. And we could have transferred that magic to you in other ways, not just fluids. We can manipulate our magical energy to a certain extent. We could have transferred it to you. So why didn't you come to us?"

"Because you Guardians are always so busy rebuilding Warfang that I would never have been able to go to you for help!" Traea snapped. She looked at the cyan dragon, furious. "Your schedule for the day is always the same; start with a meal in the morning, work through the day, the afternoon and into the evening, have your meal for the night and then go to sleep. There wasn't enough time in the day for you to revive a dragoness' eggs! I had already thought of that."

She turned her attention back to Soran. "I did what I did because I wanted to be able to give you what I couldn't for the longest time. Do you have any idea what it's like being mated to someone of a family as noble as yours! Always expecting an heir. I couldn't provide one. Do you know how aggravating that is? How stressful it can be?

"Well guess what, I planned on ceasing after I had enough magic reserved inside to revitalize the eggs. And after this latest one, I finally do. So go ahead, leave me behind. But now I know that I can at least provide any future mate with a child if they wish for one," she said. She glowered at the cousins. "I never enjoyed what I did. I only had genuine feelings for you Soran, and I did what I did for you. But that is moot now. You said so yourself: 'as far as I'm concerned, we are no longer mates.' So I say goodbye and good riddance. Now I'm free of that ever-present pressure."

She made to walk out the door, only to be stopped by Soran. "What is it now? Interested in debasing me even more?"

"No. I'll recant our accusations against Blaze tomorrow... but I won't mention your infidelities. Let's just... talk this over. If you were feeling so pressured, you should have told me," the dark cyan dragon said.

Cyril sighed and walked past the two and down the hall. He turned his head back to them however. "Actually Traea, you're still a little bit short. However, Soran's magic should suffice this time to push it to the proper level. At any rate, what I came here to do– convince you to restore Blaze's reputation– is done." With nothing more to say he departed from the couple's home and flew off toward the temple. _All's well that ends well, I suppose._

Hunter walked through the streets of Warfang, humming softly to himself. His emerald eyes darted about, looking at every stall, every alley and every person around him. His ears twitched slightly, listening for sounds that were out of the ordinary. So far nothing caught his attention. _Another dull day of patrol_, he mused.

Suddenly he felt a grip on his right shoulder. He whirled about, grabbing the person by the shoulders. His eyes looked up and down the figure of the enigmatic figure. By the slight frame he could tell it was a female. She wore robes of a rich, earthy brown with a few intricacies to it, namely a vermilion hem at the bottom of the cloth, and a sash at the robe, the outer line the same hue as the hem, with an orange field inside of it. Scattered and centered within that field of orange were bright turquoise dots. The sleeves, which covered only the area just below her shoulders, had a strange turquoise pattern. Near the hem was that same pattern. The woman had her hood up, and a bright violet cloak hung at her back. Her forearms were encased in orange and vermilion gloves. And around her ankles, reaching up to her shins, were guards that resembled her sash, except the patterns on the material at her shoulders separated the vermilion and brown edges from the center of orange.

The cheetah got a sense of familiarity upon seeing the way the person was dressed. This lingering sentiment only increased as he noticed her paws and fur, as well as a few features of her face, namely her nose. _A rabbit?_ He pulled down the hood to reveal her face. Upon her head was a crop of short blond hair, though the bangs reached down past her chin. Her long ears fell back, down to the small of her back. Her crystal clear blue eyes stood out, complimented by the striking purple eyeshadow she wore. His jaw dropped as her identity dawned upon him. "Bianca?"

The rabbit nodded demurely, a shy smile on her face. "Hello Hunter."

Terrador soon caught up with Volteer and the young dragons. He noticed, however, the lack of a cyan dragon's presence. "Where is Cyril?"

"He left after Blaze explained why he had to resort to thievery. He looked livid. And when Blaze told him the name of the couple who ruined his reputation, all the color drained from his face, as if he'd seen a ghost," Spyro answered. He turned his gaze to the jade elder. "I don't think Blaze is very comfortable talking about it again."

Volteer looked at Terrador, his bright yellow eyes glowing in the light of the setting sun. "I'll tell you when we're back at the temple."

The gruff guardian nodded in response. "Very well. To the temple then. It's growing dark."

The six then walked westward, toward the new temple within Warfang. Spyro and Cynder kept conversing with Blaze, hoping to get him to relax now that he was in a safer environment. They wanted him to know that he had people who cared about him, possibly even friends.

Spyro's eyes fell on the appendage that grew from the end of the scarlet dragon's tail. It was leaf-like, and colored a paler shade of red. The shape looked oddly familiar to him, though he couldn't place it.

It only took them another ten minutes to reach the temple. There they found Cyril waiting at the gate, his pale eyes closed, deep in thought. He opened his eyes upon hearing their footsteps. "Your reputation will be restored starting tomorrow, Blaze. I found the one who falsely accused you. The male considered the facts I brought up, and realized that you couldn't have been guilty."

Spyro and Cynder looked at Cyril, astonished. He had not been away for very long, and already he'd found the ones responsible for ruining the scarlet dragon's reputation and considered them to recant?

"How did you find them so quickly?" the ebony dragoness asked. Her emerald eyes fixed themselves on the Ice Guardian.

"Simple. The male is my cousin. But come inside," Cyril answered. He looked at Blaze, smiling warmly. "There's a certain dragoness here who's anxious to see you."

No sooner had these words left the Ice Guardian's mouth when a dragoness ran excitedly out of the temple toward the scarlet dragon. Her scales were a pale aqua in hue, though years of living on the streets had rendered them worn and dull compared to the usual shine of other dragons. Her underbelly and horns were a deep cerulean blue, though the color was soiled by dirt. Azure spines ran down her back. Her ivory claws were unpolished and dulled. Her frame was slight, like Blaze's, although she looked somewhat healthier due to her having eaten more than he has. However, despite her ragged appearance, her sapphire eyes glowed with strength. She had never given up hope that they might escape the streets, and so kept her spirits up.

Blaze simply looked at the dragoness, a warm smile on his face. He watched as she stopped at his side, turned around and nuzzled the side of her head against his. "Well, I see you're very excited Frost."

"Why wouldn't I be? We have a home now. I don't have to keep trying to find people to work as a housekeeper, you don't have to steal anymore... we can start over. Especially since your reputation is going to be restored. It might not be immediate, but it's a start in the right direction," the aqua dragoness answered. She licked the side of his muzzle softly and watched with amusement as the scarlet dragon shuffled a bit, embarrassed about such a public display of affection.

Terrador walked up to the Ice Guardian at the gate and turned to the others. "Let's come inside everyone. It's been a long day for us all. And I think that we should have our dinner soon, although on a larger scale tonight. After all, we need to start getting our two new residents back to a healthy form and weight."

"And Spyro and I will take Blaze and Frost out into Warfang tomorrow to get them cleaned up. Their scales could use a good cleaning and polish, and their claws buffed and sharpened," Cynder said. She looked at the two young dragons ahead of her and Spyro and smiled.

_Blaze could be very handsome if cleaned up. I can see why Frost would choose him. He seems like a very kind dragon, though jaded by life on the streets,_ the ebony dragoness mused. She looked to the amethyst dragon beside her. _However, Spyro is still the one and only for me. As for Frost... she would undoubtedly be very eye-catching once cleaned up. She seems a lot like me though, well-meaning, but headstrong._

Sparx simply looked at the two dragons by the gruff jade dragon and the arrogant cyan dragon and huffed. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Hey, get a room you two!"

The eight then entered the temple. The most noticeable feature was that the first room they entered was once again a room for combat training. However, instead of the statue of Malefor that would lower into the ground for the room to be used for training purposes, it was a statue of Ignitus, made as tribute to their fallen friend and his sacrifice.

"Make yourselves comfortable everyone, I'll be working on dinner," the excitable electric guardian said. He then walked off, humming a tune to himself as he did so.

Terrador looked up at the statue and closed his eyes with a sigh. _It hasn't been the same without you here old friend. Sometimes I too ask why you did what you did. After all, there was still time to turn back and regain your strength._

Near the location of the reunited cheetah and rabbit, in an alleyway strolled a figure in a gray coat, the hood pulled up over her head. Her lower legs were covered in rich brown fur, hooves clacking loudly on the cobblestone paths. In her right hand, which was of a light peach tone and was bare of any fur, was a wooden quarterstaff. The staff was carved from what looked to be maple, firm and sturdy, with elegant, flowing, wave-like patterns carved down its haft.

She stopped when she saw a pair approaching her, a pair of satyrs, both male. They both looked at her with interest. They eventually stopped when they reached her, and one went behind her. He pulled the hood down and smiled as he saw her auburn hair revealed. It fell to the nape of her neck. Pointed ears poked from the sides of her head, the skin of her ears, neck and head the same hue as her arms and hands. The satyr in front grinned stupidly as he looked at her face; vivid jade eyes were set into her face, purple eye shadow on the upper eyelid.

"Well what do we have here? A faun, and a rather pretty one at that. Do you know how dangerous it is to walk down alleyways alone? If I may, what is your name?" the satyr in front of the faun asked.

A smirk lit upon the woman's face. "Elora."


	6. Chapter 5

A shuffling of feet from behind was heard by Elora; the satyr to her rear was advancing on her. It was just as she first thought: two satyrs hoping to "get lucky" by preying on a "helpless" female. _Too bad for them though; I'm not helpless,_ the faun mused. Knowing where to aim, she quickly took her quarterstaff in both hands and thrust it behind her. A sputter from the satyr behind her informed her she'd struck true: the butt of her staff had caught him square in the abdomen, winding him.

The satyr in front of the faun leered at her, his eyes gleaming with malice. He advanced on the female. "Feisty… it's going to be more pleasing then, breaking that spirit of yours." He continued to step closer and closer to the auburn-haired faun, a malicious grin plastered onto his face.

_Closer… closer… one more step…_ Elora mused. She watched as the male in front of her took that last step. _Perfect._ She sharply shot her right leg up in a vicious kick, her cloven hoof digging right into the fork of the satyr's legs. She looked on with satisfaction as the male before her doubled over, holding his hands over his groin, bent double.

He would have screamed in pain were it not for the fact that his voice was lost to him. His mouth was forced open as the contents of his stomach emptied onto the street below. "You… you harpy! Do you know what you could have done?" he asked, his voice airy, high-pitched and strained. "You could have killed me!"

"Oh please, I wouldn't kick you that hard," the faun glibly stated. She crouched down and pulled his head up by the hair atop it. "Besides, you deserve it for thinking you could just find an easy victim.

The satyr behind her righted himself and looked at the two before him with shock. "You… you're not going to get away with this!"

"You want to end up like your friend here?" Elora pointedly asked, not even turning her head to even glance at the satyr behind her. A sigh escaped her lips, her jade eyes closing. "Go ahead and try if you want to run the risk of losing any possibility of having progeny." She stood up, seeing that the male behind her didn't try anything further. The faun stood still, contemplating what she could do to ensure that this other male didn't get off unpunished as well. A staff blow to the stomach wasn't exactly comparable to crushing another male's manhood after all.

_Alright… I'll do that,_ she mused. Abruptly she turned, her fist sailing at the face of the male behind her. A small smile lit itself upon her visage, seeing the blow connect and the male fly into the wall of one of the buildings they were between. The satyr fell in a heap to the ground, unconscious. _Both incapacitated… no one to follow me out here. Good. I'd rather not have to humiliate them in public._ With no further threat she strolled further on through the alley, stepping over the male who was huddled over, his hands over his wounded groin. Her long, bushy tail swished back and forth behind her and she finally rounded the corner, leaving the two would-be-violators behind.

Terrador led the two new guests at the temple down the halls. Blaze and Frost looked around them, marveling at the size of the structure. They had heard that the older temple was impressive looking from the outside, yet a bit small inside. This new one however was much bigger than the old one.

The stares of the two young dragons did not go unnoticed, and a hearty chuckle escaped the Earth Guardian. "Impressed are you? This temple is indeed bigger, having more chambers for the purpose of being more of a home and a refuge for those who need shelter. In addition, since we are out of the swamp, the foundation is sounder than the last one, and we had more room to build. Warfang was generous, wanting to properly thank Spyro and Cynder for saving them… and as tribute for our fallen friend."

The three of them bowed their heads, an image of the respected vermilion dragon coming immediately to their minds. The younger two had heard tales of the guardians; Blaze in particular was fascinated most by those of the late Fire Guardian.

"There are a total of twelve personal chambers in this temple. They all have two or three straw mats to serve as beds. You two, however, will be in separate rooms. Despite your success in resisting the urge to mate in the past, we do not wish to take chances. Frost especially would be in danger due to the lack of nutrition she's had for so long," Terrador gruffly said. He stopped his movement through the hallway. The two dragons behind him, having been looking at each other, did not notice this and walked into Terrador's legs. A soft chuckle escaped the jade dragon. "Mind your surroundings young dragons. I still have more to say. You two resisting those urges for each other is admirable.

"However, the longer you resist them, the stronger they become until at last you cannot fight them. That is why I am separating you two. You two are to live on opposite ends of the temple. This way, if Frost does go into heat again anytime soon, her scent will not travel to you or Spyro, Blaze. You will be sharing a room with Spyro. Frost, you will be sharing a room with Cynder," he added.

He then continued onward, the scarlet male and the pale aqua female in tow. It took them a few moments before they finally stopped at a room. "Blaze, this will be your room. All of the rooms come with a basin of water set into the ground for bathing. Water is to be brought from the kitchen into here for you to bathe in. I'd like you two to clean yourselves up, and then join me in the room where you saw the statue of Ignitus. The baths have already been filled for you two."

The male nodded and quickly slipped in through the portal of the doorway. As soon as he cleared the doorway, a wooden door quickly shut itself behind him. _Magic… I've never seen it in effect before,_ he mused. He listened at the door, hearing the militant dragon take Frost away, the sounds of their footfalls gradually fading until at last there was utter silence. With a sigh of exhaustion he looked about the room. There were two straw mats in the room; one looked well-kept and pristine. New. The other looked as though it was slept-in for a long time. _That would be Spyro's._

His scarlet eyes quickly found themselves drawn to a pit dug into the ground in an adjoining, smaller chamber. Steam could be seen billowing from this room and a grateful smile graced itself onto Blaze's countenance. "Still hot… is there something keeping it heated?" he muttered. His curiosity compelled him to walk into the room. The heat was soothing to the dragon's joints, long tightened from years of stressful life on the streets. He dipped his head to the basin of water, and noticed stones that gave off a soft orange glow at the bottom. "That would be what's keeping the water hot."

Carefully he eased himself into the water, a sigh of relief escaping him. His body felt soothed by the heat of the water as the muscles and joints relaxed. He spied a bar, ivory in hue, on the side. _Well, Master Terrador did say to clean myself up._ He grabbed the bar with his tail and began to scrub down his body with the soap, closing his eyes as he brought the soap to his face.

"Thank you Master Terrador. I'll join you and Blaze after I've washed up," the pale aqua dragoness said. She watched as the aged guardian padded off, the sound of his footfalls growing fainter as he drew further and further away. As silence filled the air around her, a wistful sigh escaped the dragoness' lips. She stepped inside, and was greeted by the sight of a well-organized room, painted, of all unlikely hues and shades, in white and sky blue.

_This certainly isn't what I was expecting. I was expecting something of more of a deep purple color,_ Frost mused. She shrugged her shoulders, stepping through the portal of the chamber, when she heard the door close behind her. _I don't know if I'll ever get used to that._

Her cerulean blue eyes glanced about the room, the different decorations catching her eye. Silver trinkets, shaped very elegantly, with many sweeps and curves, adorned the room. _It must be to escape her past. She's even forsaken the iron jewelry… well, more like shackles really._ She too noticed a steaming bath in a smaller adjoining room. _Finally, a way for me to relax._ She entered the room and closed the door behind her, slipping into the warm water.

It was half an hour later when the two young dragons entered the room with the impressively-sized statue of the fallen guardian. There they found Terrador waiting for them. Their bodies were significantly cleaner, the two having scrubbed the dirt off vigorously. Their scales shone somewhat, though they were not as shiny or as polished as they could have been. As they once were.

"Ah, you two cleaned up rather nicely," the gruff dragon stated, a smile upon his visage. He turned his gaze upon the statue and gently placed his paw to it. A diamond-shaped carving soon sank in, and the statue lowered itself down, until it was out of sight, and covered by another slab of stone that slid into place from the side.

Upon the stone were five differently colored crystals. One was a mix of reds and oranges, another was a bright yellow, yet another was a pale blue, the fourth was a vivid green and the other was as white as freshly fallen snow. "These crystals have been used in the past to find out what element a dragon or dragoness excels in. It did not apply to Spyro or Cynder, as Spyro is capable of learning all of the elements, and Cynder had unusual elements herself. However, one of them did glow brightly in her grasp.

"The crystal that is a mix of reds and oranges shows an affinity for fire, the yellow for electricity, the pale blue for ice, the green for earth, and the white for wind. Both of you are to take each crystal in paw, one by one. They will glow in your grasp. Whichever crystal has the brightest glow in your grip is the element you have the strongest affinity for. Generally, the element that is the exact opposite of yours will have the dimmest glow. Fire and ice are opposites of course, as are electricity and earth. Wind stands alone however. It has no opposite that we have found," the jade dragon said. He looked to the pale aqua dragoness and nodded. "Frost, you may go first."

The slight dragoness stepped toward the center of the room, with the crystals resting upon the stone floor. She went first to the red-orange crystal and took it into her paw. It glowed very faintly. She gently placed it down and moved on to the bright yellow crystal. In her paw it glowed brighter than the previous crystal, though it was still somewhat dim. Next she moved on to the green crystal and it shone brighter in her grasp than the yellow crystal. Following that she went to the white crystal. It glowed brightly in her paw and she turned her head away from the light, the shine bothering her eyes. Finally, after placing the white crystal down, she picked the pale blue crystal up off the ground. It gleamed brightly, almost blindingly so. She closed her eyes, as did the guardian and Blaze.

_I've never seen that crystal glow so brightly since Cyril held it when we were but young dragons. Then again we haven't had any students to take hold of the crystals since then. They always glow that brightly whenever it's the dragon's strongest elemental affinity,_ Terrador mused. He turned his jade eyes to the scarlet male and nodded. "Very well. It is your turn Blaze. Frost, you're an ice dragoness. You will be trained by Cyril while you are here."

The young male padded to the center of the room, walking first to the white crystal. Carefully he took it into his paw, and watched as it shone with a moderate lucidity. He then gently placed it down and walked to the pale blue crystal next. He lifted it from the ground, where it glowed significantly fainter than the white crystal. _Well, I'm not an ice dragon then,_ he mused. Next he took the green crystal in his paw. It glowed at the same intensity as the white crystal. His gaze then fell to the bright yellow crystal. Taking it into his paw, he squinted his eyes slightly as it gleamed brighter than the green and white crystals. And then, at last, his eyes fell upon the crystal of reds and oranges. He placed the yellow crystal onto the ground and made his way to the final crystal. As he picked it up it shone brightly, brighter than the others. It shone as bright the pale blue crystal did in Frost's paw. The three closed their eyes, and he placed it on the ground. The glow faded now that it was outside of the scarlet dragon's grasp.

_A fire dragon… and here we're without a fire guardian. Most troublesome… we could have used Thiriander's help. I suppose it will have to fall to Spyro to train him then. That glow takes me back to the day we all first met… that same crystal glowed just as bright for Ignitus, _Terrador thought. He looked to the two dragons. "I asked you for a reason to find out what your element is, you two. You are to be trained in how to use your element, so that you might be able to defend yourselves. After all, I doubt we'd want a repeat of what happened to Blaze. He wasn't able to defend himself then. That is why we will be training you so that the event doesn't happen again." He turned his head to look at the pair. "Volteer told me about it while you two were bathing."

No sooner had the loquacious dragon's name been uttered than his voice rang out, loud and clear for all in the temple to hear. "Supper's ready everyone!"

In the silent, grim sanctuary on the White Isle, Ignitus laid upon the ground, looking through the book of the most recent dragoness to come to the temple. His eyes went first to the page that detailed Frost's family. He read the names of her parents and chuckled softly. "I would never have guessed it. My, what a surprise indeed…" He flinched slightly when he noticed the fate of the mother. "Oh dear..."

He closed the book and sent it back to the shelf from whence he took it. Instead he called over another book, the one that belonged to him. He flipped the book to the page that last had text on it. The one that detailed his death in the Belt of Fire and his subsequent return as the Chronicler. The text ended there. And yet there were still many more pages beyond it. "Curious… I would think that there would be no more pages after my becoming the Chronicler."

Nonchalantly he flipped through the book, back to the section that listed his early childhood. Back to when he was eight years of age. When he first came to the temple. "Ah yes… I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take a stroll down memory lane," he muttered.


	7. Chapter 6

It was thirty-nine years ago when a young Ignitus came to the temple. It was a clear night when he arrived, his parents behind him. He was only eight years of age, yet he was invited to train with the guardians of the temple during that time. As he stepped into the room that carried the vision pool that he would, though unknown to him at this time, use in the future, he noticed seven others around his age, waiting for him along with the guardians and their own parents.

There were five guardians, each colored differently. One was a dragoness of shimmering silver scales. She stood at the head of the other four adults, standing with an air of authority about her. Without having to be told so, the young vermilion dragon knew instantly that she was the leader of the guardians. Her eyes fell onto the dragon who had just entered with his parents behind him. There was firmness to the expression upon her face, yet her eyes were gentle. Her eyes were of the same soft silver hue as her scales.

To her right stood a dragon of gold scales and a calm expression upon his visage. He looked at the young dragon and smiled softly. To his right was a dragon of bright emerald scales. His countenance showed a stern demeanor to him that even his eyes reflected, not like the silver dragoness at the head of the guardians. To the dragoness' left stood another dragoness, with scales a shade of blue so light, it gave one the impression of the sky being reflected off of an iceberg. Her face was stoic, bearing no emotion that could be instantly gleaned from it. And the final was a dragoness of amber hue. She had the warmest smile of all as she looked at the new arrival.

The silver dragoness stepped toward Ignitus. "Greetings Ignitus, we have all been waiting for you to arrive. We are glad you have accepted our invitation to train here as a student." She turned her gaze to the pair behind him, the father with scales of crimson hue, and the mother the same color as a poppy flower, a rich gold in hue, yet not of a metallic hue like the dragon standing beside the emerald dragon. More like honey.

"And well met to you as well, Solus and Ferra. You must be proud of your son," she added.

The crimson male, to whom she addressed as Solus, nodded. "Indeed we are. It is an honor to meet you Mistress Zeria." He turned his head to look to the dragoness beside him. "This is one of the happiest days for us. Though we are saddened to leave Ignitus here, we are certain that he will become a fine dragon under the tutelage of the guardians."

"The parents are welcome to stay here for a few days to watch as the children discover their element, who their mentor will be, and who their fellow pupils will be as well," Zeria stated. She turned her gaze to the golden dragon beside her. "This is Sturm, the Guardian of Electricity. Next to him is Tremor, the Guardian of Earth. To my left is Kyría, the Guardian of Ice. And last but not least is Nova, the Guardian of Fire.

"As for myself, I am Zeria, the Guardian of Wind," she added. Her head swiveled back to Ignitus, her silver eyes focusing their attention on him. "But for now come, mingle with your fellow trainees." A warm smile lit upon her countenance.

The vermilion dragon nodded in assent and walked past her to the group of seven children around his age. The one closest to him had scales of a deep green with eyes to match, tan, curled horns and a brown spiked ball on the tip of his tail. His countenance bore a stoic mask. Another was a bright cyan hue in both scale and eye color with silvery horns akin to icicles and similar frills going down his back, ending in a spiked tail-end that looked much like shards of ice jutting out from the tip. He also sported a lavender belly. On his face was an expression of pride. And beside this dragon was a yellow male, chattering away. His underbelly and horns were a dark purplish-grey in color, a dual-tipped ax-like appendage attached to the end of his tail. Off to the side, away from the others, was a male with scales and eyes of a deep navy blue. His horns and stomach were silver in hue and he looked at a wall, apathy on his visage.

With the male trainees were three females of the same age. The one closest to Ignitus had sky blue eyes and scales, with silver horns and belly to match. Silver spikes went down the back of her head and neck, stopping before getting to her back. Her tail sported an interestingly shaped appendage; one that looked like stylized clouds that were usually seen in murals of mythological figures. She looked at Ignitus and a warm smile lit upon her visage. Beside her was a dragoness with white scales and bright green eyes, her head sporting grey horns and her belly a matching shade of grey. Her tail was devoid of any special appendage at the end. And finally there was a dragoness of a pale aqua color who stood still, listening to everything around her. Unlike the male who was similar in color, she sported a genuine smile upon her countenance as she too turned her attention to the newcomer.

The jade green dragon was the first to speak. "So you're the one we've all been waiting for. Good to see that you made it. My name is Terrador."

"I'm Ignitus," the vermilion dragon succinctly replied.

As the two looked at each other the stern dragon's face grew a smile. This soon grew further into a wide grin as he noticed that Ignitus himself began to do the same.

"So what is the temple like?" Ignitus asked, attempting to make some sort of conversation to break the awkward silence. Well, an awkward silence away from the yellow dragon who never ceased his talking.

Terrador simply shrugged when he heard the newcomer's question. "Eh, I can't really say much since I haven't been here very long myself. The other guys seem rather… preoccupied. So I'll just tell you who they are. The guy beside me who looks as if he thinks he's someone important is Cyril. Claims he's from a noble family. For all I know he could be right; he acts prissy enough to be a noble."

Cyril, having heard this, merely glowered at the jade dragon next to him, visibly annoyed.

"As for the yellow dragon, he's Volteer. I swear he must have swallowed a thesaurus. I've never heard anyone speak so quickly or with so many words. The only thing I haven't heard from him is silence," Terrador continued.

"And as for the dragon who is standing off alone, his name's Thiriander. He doesn't talk much, though when he does say something it's usually something very profound," the gruff dragon added. He then looked to the females opposite him. "As for these three, I'm sure they'd like to introduce themselves."

The sky blue dragoness nodded in agreement. Her eyes fell on the vermilion dragon as that smile on her face persisted. "My name is Breeze. It's very nice to meet you Ignitus." She stepped closer to Ignitus and giggled softly as he shyly stepped back.

The ivory dragoness beside Breeze stepped forward as well. "My name is Aria. We've all been waiting for you, wondering what you would look like and what you would be like." She then turned her attention to the yellow male and noticed that he was still talking incessantly. "I do wish he'd stop talking about whatever it is he's talking about and just socialize."

The pale aqua dragoness simply rolled her eyes, having noticed Cyril glower at Terrador. "My name is Kristall. It's nice to meet you Ignitus. And quite frankly one's origin doesn't really matter all that much. Not to me at least. It's more about whether a person is nice. I come from a noble family myself but I don't brag about it. In fact I'm embarrassed to be a part of it. All those rules and expectations… ugh, I just want to be rid of it all.

"Nobility of blood means little if one is not noble of heart," the blue dragoness added. She looked at Cyril as she said this, as if these words were intended more for him than anyone else.

The future trainees and their parents all mingled together for a few minutes longer before Zeria cleared her throat. Her silvery eyes looked out to the assembly before her, a pensive expression on her countenance. Every ten seconds her gaze would fall on another of the hopefuls until she finally looked out to the assembly as a whole.

"Thank you all for coming. Now, mentees, I am sure you are all wondering who your mentor will be. And to the parents, I am sure you are eager to learn of what element your child can use to their greatest potential. However, I am also going to tell you why you are gathered here. The guardians here are, of course, mortal, just as any other dragon. Dragons are becoming scarce in general due to the tensions mounting between our kind and the servants of the Dark Master, the apes," the stately dragoness said. Her eyes closed solemnly.

"We have called these children here so that we may find our successors for when we step down. The older generation must set the foundation for the next, but we must also be ready to stand aside for the newer generation when the time comes, so that they can help shape the future of our world," Zeria said. Her head swiveled to look at each of the other adult dragons, standing beside their children. "Parents, look at your children carefully and remember what they look like now. Depending on how this war turns out, you may or may not see them again when they finish their training. And know also that your child may in fact be a part of the next generation of guardians. Now that the pleasantries are over, it is time we get underway. There were initially ten young dragons who were called here… two have been lost to us on their way here, however. Their families were assaulted by apes, and slain en route. We received confirmation earlier this morning, this being a most unfortunate event. Ignitus, therefore, was the only one left to wait for. As such, it may be that there is no competition for your child in terms of what element they have, and thus they will be the next guardian of that element."

She soon departed the room, followed closely by the other guardians. The trainees all looked to each other, sorrow on their faces. Young though they may be, they still knew of the dangers and of the pain of death. This was especially true with a race such as theirs, torn in a civil war of sorts, having to fight against the fallen purple dragon, Malefor, and his forces. Death was a constant presence now, with the dragons in the midst of war. The eight trainees here, living in such a time, now had to mature beyond their years emotionally in some regards. With heavy minds they followed the guardians into the next room, where they stood in a large circular room.

In the center of the room was a statue of their enemy, of the Betrayer. Ignitus had seen similar statues around the city of Warfang. The statues served as reminders that even those who would be trained to do great things, to become heroes, were still flawed. That even such dragons who seemed to have been destined to become legendary, and to protect others, could fall. The nature of the reminder was known by every dragon, young and old, and most kept it close to their heart.

The statue soon descended into the ground a large stone slab sliding out from grooves within the pit. Zeria walked to the center of the room and placed five differently colored stones on the ground. Silently she backed away and looked to the trainees.

"These crystals will tell us what your elemental attunement is. We will send you up in pairs to hasten the process. You are each to take each crystal in your paw and hold it up. The crystal that gives the brightest glow in your grip is your natural element. Of course, you can learn an element other than what the crystal shows, but it is more difficult to learn an element other than what your natural affinity is," the silver dragoness said. She looked upward in contemplation. "The red-orange crystal denotes fire, the light blue represents ice, the green is affiliated with earth, the yellow with electricity, and the white with wind. Wind is one of the rarer elements, however. The other four are more common."

She looked to the group of children, a serious expression on her countenance. "Cyril and Thiriander, you two are first."

With their names called the cyan dragon and the navy blue dragon stepped forward. Their faces themselves bore no emotion. Cyril walked first toward the yellow crystal, while Thiriander walked to the green. They both picked up the crystals before them, and saw that they glowed with a moderate intensity. Working their way through the colors, they found each to be slightly dimmer or slightly brighter than the first; the red-orange crystal was dimmest for Cyril, and the light blue was the dimmest for Thiriander. Finally they passed the crystals they held, the red-orange in Cyril's grip and the light blue in Thiriander's, to one another. And immediately both shone with intensities greater than the other crystals.

Kyría looked to the cyan dragon and nodded her head. "So it seems that you will be my pupil in these coming years. A faint smile flickered onto her face. "It is good to know that you are an ice dragon yourself."

"I wasn't surprised. My entire family is made up of ice dragons," Cyril promptly answered.

Nova, on the other hand, looked to Thiriander. "Your scales would have suggested you to be an ice dragon. But you have a fiery heart beneath that stoic exterior. Appearances are not always as they seem, as you have proven. I welcome you as a student, Thiriander."

"Terrador and Kristall, it is now your turn. If you please," Zeria calmly said.

The stoic emerald dragon and the sociable pale aqua dragoness stepped to the center. Kristall immediately took the light blue crystal from Cyril, and watched as it glowed just as brightly as it did for Cyril.

"That's the strongest shine possible for any crystal. You needn't choose another. Your natural element is ice," the silver Wind Guardian said. Her attention turned once more to the male, and watched as he went immediately to the green crystal. And, to her surprise, it shone just as brightly as the light blue crystal did for Kristall. "My, such intuition in you two. You're an earth dragon Terrador."

Kristall silently walked to the ice guardian, a broad smile on her face. She looked at the proud male dragon beside her, only to have him look away, as if in contempt. _That jerk. He's too proud,_ she thought.

Tremor stepped toward Terrador. He looked at the young male and nodded approvingly. "A sturdy mind and body, one that is perfect for the element of earth. Just by looking into your eyes I can see as much." The voice that left him came as a shock to the parents of the children and to the children itself. They had expected it to be a booming bass or baritone, gruff and harsh sounding. Instead they heard a smooth, tenor voice.

"Now, Volteer and Aria, will you kindly step up?" Zeria politely asked.

The two did as they were asked, the two ending the discussion they were having with one another. For once, much to Terrador's immense surprise and amusement, he heard no words come from Volteer's mouth. It felt strange to the earth dragon, hearing nothing when he had heard so much from the yellow dragon over the past two days.

The ivory-hued dragoness first picked up the green crystal. The glow was incredibly faint, almost non-existent. Next she picked up the yellow beside it. It shone at a moderate intensity. And then she went to the white crystal, and it shone at the maximum intensity, as the silver dragoness had said was possible.

Seeing this, a wry smile lit onto Zeria's countenance. _At last, another wind dragon. I had hoped there would be at least one among them,_ she mused. She watched as the white dragoness strode over to her. "You are a wind dragoness. It is rare. Not as rare as the purple dragon, but it is uncommon."

Her attention immediately snapped to the yellow wyrm still in the center of the room, contemplating which crystal he should choose first. He finally decided, and lifted the light blue crystal from the ground. It shone somewhat faintly, fainter than the yellow crystal had for Aria, but brighter than the green one had for the dragoness. His eyes immediately fell on the yellow crystal as he set the blue one down. He picked it up, and it shone so it was nearly blinding to him.

Sturm, the gold dragon, called Volteer wordlessly to him. "Welcome, young electric dragon. I will be your mentor."

And finally it came to the vermilion dragon and the sky blue dragoness. Needing no call, as they were the only ones remaining, they each took to the center of the room and looked around at the different crystals. As if called by the stone, Ignitus went immediately to the red-orange crystal, and Breeze to the white. They turned to face each other and both picked up their respective crystals, which shone brightly.

Ignitus, in the present, closed his book and sent it away, his eyes closed in thought. "Times were so much simpler then. They usually are when you're a child," he muttered. How he longed to return to those days, to the days when he was still alive. For although he was the Chronicler and was indeed within the world of the living, there was still a key difference. The Chronicler is neither truly dead nor truly alive.

"A spirit given physical form, able to interact with the physical world, including this sanctuary. And yet there is no heart beat… no flowing of blood. I feel… empty," the periwinkle dragon spoke, tristesse in his voice.


	8. Chapter 7

It was half an hour after Volteer had called everyone for supper. The repast was finished yet everyone remained gathered around the stone slab that served as a makeshift table. The seven dragons all remained at the table, immersed in discussion afterward; the guardians talking to each other, Volteer speaking more animatedly than usual. The younger dragons spoke among themselves, talking more of their experiences in Warfang, other than the trials the two additions to the temples numbers faced.

It was then that Terrador stood from where he was seated upon his haunches and cleared his throat. Immediately all the others fell silent and turned their attention to him.

"Well, this has certainly been a most eventful evening. I ask our guests here what they felt of the supper prepared by Volteer," the emerald dragon stated. A smile lit upon his countenance as he looked to Blaze and Frost.

Blaze looked Terrador straight in the eyes, a broad smile on his face. "Although we didn't eat all that fast, it's not that we didn't enjoy it. In fact, it was incredible."

The pale aqua dragoness nodded in concurrence. "Indeed it was. And as for why we didn't eat very quickly…"

"It was because of the fact that, given we haven't been able to eat much for so long, if we ate too quickly we'd just get sick and lose what we just ate," the two spoke in unison. Their grins grew wider still as they saw the expressions on the others' faces at hearing the two newcomers speak in unison. "And yes, this does happen all the time. It's like we know what the other's thinking or is going to say. We've just been together that long that we know each other so well."

The dragonfly flew up between the two, shaking his hands in protest. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What is this? You dragons are already freaky enough, now this? I mean first you're able to shoot magic out of your mouth, then creatures that are so fat are able to fly, and now you're talking at the same time?" Sparx inquired, exasperated. He shook his head, his blue eyes closing as he brought a hand to his face. "Next thing I know you'll all try to eat me at some point like Cynder did."

Snickers all around the stone slab could be heard at the irate dragonfly's statement. Even Cynder who, although would normally take offense, couldn't help but be amused by the Sparx's insistence that she had tried to eat him eight years ago. The dragonfly could certainly hold a grudge she had to give him that.

"Nah, we wouldn't try to eat you. You're too soft and small. Not filling at all," the black dragoness joked.

At this the dragonfly's hands balled up into fists. "What? I am filling!"

"Oh, so you want to be eaten then?" Cynder inquired, an eye ridge raised in questioning.

"I–" Sparx began to reply, before realization dawned on him on what the recent exchange entailed. He turned his back on the group and began to fly off, throwing his arms up in exasperation. "Lousy dragons and their reverse psychology…" he said, the words being picked up by the others.

Cyril, Volteer and Terrador couldn't help but laugh at the most recent squabble between the ebony dragoness and the dragonfly. The pair's antics always served as a distraction from darker thoughts, especially those that were running through the Earth Guardian's mind at the moment. With hesitation he cleared his throat, the sound quelling the laughter that filled the room.

"I thought I should make it known, actually, that the elements of Blaze and Frost have been found out. Cyril, you will have a new student in Frost, as she has shown herself to be an ice dragoness. As for Blaze… he possesses the ability of fire," the jade green dragon stated. His eyes closed solemnly as a sigh escaped him. This was where the difficult part came in, he knew. "However –given Thiriander's decision not to take up the role of Fire Guardian that has been left vacant since Ignitus' passing– that leaves only one who can properly train Blaze."

Slowly his emerald eyes opened, his gaze falling upon the young purple dragon. "Spyro. You are to train Blaze in how to properly use his fire element. You are the only one among us who is able to use it to the degree of a master, having proven your mastery to the Chronicler eight years ago, when you visited him just before you, Cynder and Sparx vanished for those three years."

An awkward silence fell upon all in the room. Everyone's attention was now turned to the young male, their eyes watching him carefully. It was no secret to Cynder, Blaze, Frost and Terrador as to how Spyro felt about someone taking Ignitus' place. But for it to be Spyro himself? They could only imagine what the dragon was thinking. Was feeling. As if the entire world was grinding to a halt.

It brought only disquiet to Terrador's heart and mind to place Spyro in this role, given what Thiriander had told him only two hours ago. _Spyro will resent me for this. But it can't be helped; it must be done. I would have preferred it if Thiriander had accepted the offer, given that he would have been the Fire Guardian if Ignitus were not his competition. He studied with us all those years ago. He's a natural choice._

Spyro felt his throat tighten as Terrador's words registered in his mind. His violet eyes darted around the room as anxiety wracked his body. Fell upon him the way a wave crashes upon the shore in a storm. "I… do not wish to take Ignitus' place."

Terrador had expected such an answer. And he certainly couldn't blame the young dragon for what he had said. However, he had to be firm on the subject. He had to tell Spyro that it was not his choice anymore; someone had to train Blaze. To teach him to fend for himself on the day that he and Frost would leave the temple for their own place, should they be able to find a place of their own.

"That is not up to you Spyro. I'm standing firm on this. Someone must take Ignitus' place for the time being until another fire dragon can be found to take his place. Blaze needs to learn to protect himself, especially after what happened to him with Traea, and after what nearly happened today at Vard's hands," the militant dragon said. He looked hard at the purple male, seeing his body tense up at the order. "I'm sorry Spyro. I'm sorry that you are still affected by Ignitus' passing. But it has been five years. It's time to move on."

"Is that so? 'Time to move on?'" Spyro rhetorically asked, frustration boiling up inside him, and quickly. "You mean like how you and the others have moved on and tossed Ignitus aside as if he didn't matter! Not even talking about him, not even thinking about him! And you expect me to do the same, to just forget about my father figure, as you forgot about your so-called best friend?

"It's an insult to his memory, for you not to talk about him, not to think about him!" Spyro raved. His body heaved up and down as he breathed heavily. His heart raced, his blood flowed through his body at a feverish pace, accelerated by the anger running through him. He looked around him, noticing the others stare at him in shock at his outburst. Even Terrador was caught by surprise, not expecting Spyro to actually shout at him. "Cynder and I have already done enough for dragons our age! We fought in war, were captured by pirates to be used as a source of entertainment in their arena. We were nearly crushed as the Well of Souls collapsed around us, were frozen in time for _three _years, three years we'll never get back! We stopped Malefor from destroying the world, and now we're rebuilding this city because the other dragons who live here are too lazy to actually help!

"And now you're piling this on top of me too? When does it all end!" he asked. Finished, the purple dragon silently stormed off, still bristling with outrage.

Sparx, having heard his adoptive brother's outburst from down the hall, floated back into the room where the others were gathered. "Okay, who set Spyro off? He's not usually like that so I _know_ something disastrous just happened."

The ebony dragoness simply looked to Sparx, a wistful sigh escaping her. "Terrador told Spyro that he's to be taking Ignitus' place and train Blaze. He… didn't take it well."

"I'm not surprised! He looked at the old guy like a father, and now he's told that he's taking the guy's place? I'd be pretty ticked myself," Sparx stated, sympathizing with the purple male who had stormed off. He looked to Cynder, a gleam of seriousness in his blue eyes. "You should go to him you know. I still question his decision, but he likes being around you; it keeps him calm. Well, relatively calm, I guess. Me? I just seem to annoy him."

Cynder nodded in concurrence with the insect. Just as she began to walk past him, her emerald eyes fluttered quickly before she fell to her side, unconscious. At almost the same moment, the same had happened to Volteer.

The dragonfly shook his head, rolling his eyes as he recalled events that were similar to this. "Oh great, that old guy… what's his name, the Chrono Trigger? No, wait… that's wrong. The Chronicler, that's it. He did this all the time eight years ago with Spyro… at the worst possible times I might add. Guess some things never change."

The two unconscious dragons soon awakened in a dreamscape, on a mass of grey stone floating above a sea of nothingness. Above an endless abyss. They stood next to each other. They shook their heads and looked about them, before seeing each other.

"Where are we?" Cynder asked.

"I've never seen such a place before…" the Electric Guardian answered.

"I believe I can explain that; you are in the dream world, and I am speaking to you from here. I am the Chronicler," a voice rang out.

"That… that voice… Ignitus!" Volteer inquired, stunned.

"Indeed… I have become the Chronicler. But that is not what is important right now. I have brought you two here together for a very important reason," the disembodied voice said. A sigh of exhaustion could be heard hissing into the air. "I have discovered who Cynder's parents are."

"But… what does that have to do with Volteer?" Cynder questioned. She looked about her, puzzled.

"It has everything to do with Volteer, Cynder. After all; he is your father."


	9. Chapter 8

Expressions of pure astonishment materialized on the faces of Volteer and Cynder, both in disbelief about the statement that the former Fire Guardian had just made. The two of them were related? Surely this must have been some kind of joke; they had almost no personality traits in common, and even if there was a physical resemblance it was surely just a coincidence. Right?

And yet the disembodied voice of the dragon they had both known and had come to miss sounded so certain, as if the one who held the voice had absolutely no doubt as to the veracity of the statement. Could he be mistaken, however? After all, as Spyro had told them of his own meeting with the Chronicler, a different one from the current one obviously, the Chronicler once stated that it was Cynder's fate to return to Malefor's side on the Night of Eternal Darkness. But Spyro had proven that wrong; he changed the face of destiny, he showed that the future was not written in stone. That even the Chronicler, who was the keeper of all dragon history, made mistakes.

Perhaps this was just wishful thinking on their part, on Cynder's part mostly. At the thought that the electric wyrm may in fact be her father, sorrow clutched at her heart. Memories of her past deeds under Malefor's control resurfaced. She had fought and captured Volteer along with the other Guardians, had drained him of his strength, albeit temporarily, to power a crystal that would serve to undo the lock placed on the Dark Master's essence. And here she was being told, eight years after those haunting events, that one of her captives in the past is in fact her father? Her past, it seemed, just didn't want to give up in its quest to remind her of the atrocities she committed. This new fact only made her more resentful of herself.

_Will I ever find absolution?_ she mused.

The thoughts running through Volteer's mind were considerably different. Disbelief clutched at his mind as it did the ebony dragoness' but the nature of the surprise was different. It was not dismay, but instead of relief. Of closure. For too long had he thought that his child with his beloved had been killed before being born on the night of the raid. Now, if Ignitus' words actually were true, that thought would be disproven. The possibility of his child being alive, and being Cynder no less, lifted a weight from the loquacious dragon's mind.

"Are you certain of this Ignitus? Please, is there anything you can show us as proof?" Volteer asked.

He had to know. He had to know for certain. He had to see it there, printed as fact on something, for him to let down his guard, for him to actually come to know Cynder as his own flesh and blood. For the longest time he'd thought of Cynder as such, but would dismiss such a notion as idle fancy. It seemed so preposterous then, to think that she, against all odds, would be his child. After all, she was but one of one hundred and fifty eggs that were first left at the temple. And only four ended up surviving the raid in some way; Spyro, through Ignitus' actions, Blaze and Frost, for being adopted only a few days prior to the raid, and Cynder herself, tragically taken by Gaul and the apes to serve as a general for Malefor.

The scenery seemed to fade out around them. Bewildered, the two dragons summoned to this dream plane looked around them, watching as the environment they were in changed. Just as the yawning void faded from obscurity, an enclosed chamber materialized about them. The walls were lined with books on shelves. The sheer number seemed almost endless. Still more tomes lay scattered about on the floor, their bindings surprisingly kept in pristine condition, despite many having existed for millennia. There in the center of the room was a large hourglass. Yet everything did not appear crystal clear to them; things appeared to have a blur to them; an effect of this being a dream.

"You'll have to excuse the mess, but this temple of mine is rather limited in terms of space. The books can only fit in this room," the familiar voice stated.

The two dragons whirled about to face the direction of the voice. Their eyes widened upon seeing the old dragon. It had been so long since the day he had perished in the Belt of Fire. In two months' time it would be five years to the day. Their faces contorted into grimaces, however, as they got a better look at the dragon, and at the color of his scales.

"That color… it's not you," Cynder remarked.

A chuckle loosed itself from the periwinkle dragon's lips. He closed his eyes, his head shaking as the soft chuckle evolved into a laugh. "You don't see me for five years and the first thing you say to me is in regards to the color of my scales?"

He cracked his eyes open and listened as the dragoness laughed nervously at the elder dragon's statement. "Quite frankly it's not something I'm fond of either, but a shade of blue or grey comes with the position of Chronicler. But I digress.

"The reason I brought you to my chamber in this dream is to provide you with the proof of your relationship as father and daughter that Volteer requested. And because there is something I need to inform you of. Something that is most… distressing," he stated.

With a sigh and a wave of his right foreleg, three books removed themselves from the shelves and hovered to the two before him. On the front covers there was each a name; one had Cynder's, one had Volteer's, and the other had the name 'Aria' imprinted upon them. The three books flipped open with a tap of the periwinkle dragon's tail on the ground, opening directly to the pages that detailed the family.

Cynder's emerald eyes pored over the text written in her own book. Her jaw fell slightly agape; there, as clear as day, she could see the identities of her parents. On one line it said "Father: Volteer." On the one just below it, she read the words "Mother: Aria (deceased)." She still wasn't certain, however, and turned her gaze to look at Volteer's book. It had similar information, with the exception of Aria being listed as his mate. But there it was for her to see; "Daughter: Cynder." And it said the same in Aria's book as well, with Volteer as her mate. It was true. It had to be; there was no possible way three different books could be wrong.

She turned her head to look at Volteer. Her emerald eyes were widened in shock, her heart beat in her chest rapidly. To her it sounded like the rhythm of war drums signaling an attack; such was the pace and the intensity of the pounding of her heart that it nearly drowned out all else.

"You're my…" she whispered, still in a state of disbelief.

Immediately the yellow-scaled dragon pulled the dragoness closer to him, wrapping a foreleg around her. This action caught Cynder off guard, and she looked up at Volteer, seeing him smile warmly at her. Despite her anxiety over the fact that one whom she had captured in the past was, as it turns out, her father, she now felt something that she previously felt only with Spyro. Warmth. She could even see it in Volteer's eyes. In her father's eyes. She buried her head to the dark purple chest of the dragon, her emerald eyes closed. Perhaps it was sudden but she felt… safe.

The former Fire Guardian looked at the two, a faint smile on his countenance. A twinge of sadness, however, arose within him. He hated to break up this tender moment, but he had other news to deliver, and very grim news at that.

"Though I am loathe to disrupt this sweet moment there is another reason I brought you two here. I do not have much time to say this; bringing you into the dream realm was taxing enough, but changing the location has taken even more out of me," he stated. At once the attention of the two he had summoned turned to him. "I only have enough energy to do this sort of thing once every few months. I haven't had time to adapt to it to use it as frequently as my predecessor, and I have tried and failed to do the same for Spyro. Now, for what I have to say, I have other news… Malefor is seeking to return again."

Volteer's mouth fell agape at Ignitus' words; Malefor had been killed again. Why would he not stay dead? Spyro and Cynder had even told the Guardians of what happened in the core of the world. They told of how the spirits of the Ancients, Malefor's old teachers, had dragged the corrupted dragon into the very core itself. The sheer density and pressure would have crushed him.

"How do you know this? How does he plan to return?" Cynder inquired, trepidation in her voice. For the past five years she had felt more at ease with the thought that the hateful dragon was no more. But now those expectations were dashed; fear for the future, uncertainty as to her fate, swelled quickly within her.

The elderly dragon sighed, exhausted emotionally. "His book does not say how he plans to return, only that he does. In addition, there are several pages in his book that follow his defeat at yours and Spyro's hands. Therefore… his return is inevitable, and he will be even more powerful than he was five years ago. You must warn the others. Blaze and Frost must be trained. You and Spyro will need all the help you can get against Malefor. True, the two of them do not have additional elements like you and Spyro, but that does not matter. Numbers may help you two.

"And… tell Spyro that I am still watching over him. That I always will. I will see you all in about three months. Blaze and Frost must be trained during that time. When they are adequately trained, seek out my sanctuary in the Celestial Caves, on the White Isle. I will send the leviathan to the coast you will be at. He will take you to the isle," Ignitus added. His body tensed up, as if feeling the strain. "My time to talk to you is almost up. I will say this: I am neither truly dead nor truly alive. The Chronicler is a spirit given a semi-physical form. I can interact with the objects in this sanctuary, but that is all. Other living creatures would only pass through me.

"Now… go… and cherish the time you two have as father and daughter. A new chapter is opening for you two."

"But, what about Spyro's parents? Can you tell us who they are? He's been wondering for some time now," the onyx-scaled dragoness stated. She looked up at the male, her emerald eyes pleading.

The periwinkle dragon only shook his head in response to Cynder's inquiry. "I apologize, Cynder, but that is something I wish to tell Spyro personally. Once more, I hope to see you all in three months' time."

Nothing could be said by Cynder and Volteer in response to what Ignitus had just divulged to them; a flash of white light forced them to shield their eyes with their wings. It felt to them as if they were falling, as if everything around them had disappeared. In reality, their eyes flew open in surprise. They lifted their heads up a few inches from the ground, their eyes scanning about the room.

To Cynder's relief she saw Spyro standing over her, an expression of concern etched into her face. She wondered, for a brief moment, on how Spyro was there, as he had previously stormed off into his room that he would now be sharing with the scarlet male. Realization then dawned on her that it was very likely one of the other Guardians, or Sparx, had gone to inform Spyro of her and Volteer passing out.

"Are you all right Cynder?" the purple dragon inquired, his voice saturated with concern.

The ebony dragoness carefully rose to her feet, her body shaking as her legs tried to support her weight as she stood. She stumbled forward a bit, her legs unsteady, only for her head to rest on the purple dragon's golden chest. She looked up, her emerald eyes looking straight into the violet pair that belonged to Spyro. There wasn't a trace of anger in his face. How had he gotten over his anger so quickly? Or rather, how long were she and her father unconscious.

Father. The word still seemed so foreign to her mind. And for it to be attributed to Volteer was still so bizarre to Cynder. And yet it also seemed so right, so utterly perfect, like no one else could be her father.

"How long were we out for?" Volteer questioned. His yellow eyes looked about the room, peering at his two peers, at the two newcomers, at the talkative insect, and at the previously enraged purple dragon. They all looked at him with worried expressions engraved into their visages.

"Half an hour," the green-scaled male replied.

His jade green eyes fell on Spyro. The change in temperament of the young dragon did not go unnoticed by the Earth Guardian. Looking at the young adult now, he found it all the more surprising that he was capable of such an outburst as what he had made earlier. He generally kept quiet after all, and often didn't voice his opinions on things.

_Perhaps that is why the outburst came when it did; he's been holding all those emotions in, all that stress and pressure, for so long. But something tells me that not all of it has been let out. No; that was only a small glimpse of the pain he's felt._

Terrador's attention turned to Volteer, noticing the grim look that was on his face. "Is something wrong Volteer? What did the Chronicler say to you two?"

"The position of Chronicler has changed hands. The one that Spyro knew no longer exists. The new Chronicler… is Ignitus," the loquacious dragon stated. His yellow eyes took in the expressions of shock that formed on the faces of all but Cynder. Spyro, of course, seemed to be the one most surprised of all of them.

"He's… he's alive?" Cyril asked, dumbfounded.

"Not alive, but not dead either. Ignitus explained that the Chronicler is a spirit given a somewhat physical form, able to interact with the objects inside of his sanctuary, but all else passes through him. He… he told Cynder and I a few things that were quite… shocking. The first was lighter news; Cynder… is my daughter."

"Oh great, does that mean we're going to have another motor mouthed walking thesaurus?" the dragonfly chimed in.

Exasperated groans filled the room at Sparx's remark; all present were not amused by the dragonfly's persistence in using insults that seemed especially geared against Cynder nowadays, as opposed to dragons in general as was once thought.

The groans of annoyance were soon replaced by boisterous laughter at an event none had expected; Frost had swatted at the insect with the flat part of her tail-blade, knocking him away. "Oops, how clumsy of me." The statement came out in a flat, serious tone. She said it so quickly, without even laughter, that it caught everyone by surprise even more.

Terrador, however, still sported a grim expression on his face. Volteer's words still hung heavy in his mind. "The first was lighter news." That statement nagged at the Earth Guardian's mind, wouldn't rest. Lighter news… then there was something dark as well. What could it possibly be? He had to ask. Whatever it was, for Ignitus as the Chronicler to divulge it to Volteer and Cynder, it must be of utmost importance.

"And… what was the other news?" he questioned.

At the sound of the stern dragon's voice all fell silent. All eyes were on Volteer and Cynder once more, hanging upon every word that had yet to be stated by them on what this news of a more grim nature specifically entailed. What was so important that Ignitus had to tell now?

"He said that… that Malefor plans to return once more. How, he did not know, as it was not stated in Malefor's book. All that is known, however, is that Malefor is scheming something," Cynder darkly remarked.

The words left her mouth with the weight and gravity of a large, somber bell ringing at a cemetery for a funeral. Spyro felt a strong pressure hit him in the chest at the dragoness' utterance. His mortal foe, the one who had brought all the suffering that the world suffered, that Spyro himself suffered, refused to stay dead. He refused to admit defeat. And suddenly Spyro knew that his feelings about taking on the role of Blaze's teacher were tiny in comparison to this. If Malefor were allowed to return… Ignitus' death may yet be in vain.

"He said that Blaze and Frost were to begin their training as soon as they can. He said that Spyro and I may not be enough to stop Malefor this time on our own. He grew stronger the first time he returned; who was to say that he wouldn't grow even stronger still?" the ebony dragoness added. Her emerald eyes concealed themselves behind the dark curtains that were her eyelids as she thought long and hard about what the former Fire Guardian had told her and her father. "Spyro… he says that he knows who your parents are, but wishes to tell you in person, three months from now, when Blaze and Frost's training has been underway for some time. And… that he's still watching you. That he's always looking after you, and always will."

A bright grin beamed from the purple male's face at this. Ignitus was still around. True, he wasn't alive, but at least he wasn't completely dead. Better yet, Ignitus actually wanted to see him, to talk to him. To reveal the identity of his parents to him no less! And yet there was still something nagging at him. He couldn't completely enjoy this revelation; it had been Ignitus' actions in the first place that caused him to leave behind the young dragon who looked to him as a father.

He closed his eyes, a yawn escaping him; he was still exhausted from the long day of labor. He needed to sleep and in a most interesting development to him, he now had a new roommate other than the golden dragonfly whom had been his "brother" for his entire life. This would certainly be a very different experience; maybe good, maybe bad. The scarlet dragon didn't seem like he'd cause trouble, didn't seem like he was one to bite the hand that feeds, but appearances can be deceiving.

_Why am I getting so worked up over this? He seems genuine in his interest to try and better his and Frost's lives, and to repay us. I doubt he'll be any worse a roommate than Sparx. For such a little guy, he snores pretty loudly,_ Spyro mused.

Blaze took notice of the purple dragon's yawn and, as contagious as these things were, one escaped him as well. He looked at the ground, embarrassed at such an audible expression of his tired state. "My apologies, I should have kept my mouth closed."

The elder dragons simply chuckled at the young male's statement. It was such a departure, this formality that he was showing now, from what they had heard from Thiriander about the cheeky comment that was thrown the navy blue dragon's way on the apprehension of Blaze.

_Just goes to show that only those who haven't done Blaze any wrong earn his respect. Here we are, having been in the dark about his plight for so long, yet with this one act of taking it in, he's forgiven us. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing; does he forgive too easily, or is it just because of the magnitude of this gesture? _Cyril speculated. His cyan eyes fell on the dragon, an uncharacteristically warm smile stretching his lips.

"I think we're all rather tired from this long day. There's no need to apologize Blaze. Now, let's all turn in. We have a busy day tomorrow. Terrador, Volteer and I will be meeting with the Warfang City Council, along with Thiriander. As for you four, you have the day to yourselves, to do as you see fit," the ice wyrm remarked.

All present nodded in concurrence with the cyan male; everyone was rather tired from the day's events. The two dragonesses looked at each other, devious grins plastered onto their faces that unsettled their partners.

"What do you think they have in their heads?" Blaze questioned Spyro, his voice kept to the level of a transient whisper. A sigh escaped him as his eyes caught the subtle shrug the amethyst male gave in response.

It seemed he'd just have to resign himself to Frost's mercy the next day. It was obvious to him that she and Cynder had been talking about something earlier in the day, either when Frost was first brought to the temple, or during supper when the two were whispering to each other about something.

All assembled bid each other good night, the Guardians heading off to their own individual chambers, Cynder and Frost to the one they would be sharing, and Spyro, Sparx and Blaze to the room they would be staying in together.

It didn't take long at all for the insect to fly off into the little niche in the wall that he called his own "room." As he slipped into the alcove that was large enough to be considered a makeshift home for the dragonfly, he pulled a piece of cloth across it, likely for the sake of privacy. The scarlet dragon simply looked at the spot, confused; how could the dragonfly expect the other inhabitants of the room not to be able to see anything in that alcove through such a thin piece of cloth when there was an incessant golden glow coming from that area, radiating from Sparx.

Figuring he'd never understand Sparx's way of thinking–nor had the desire even crossed his mind–Blaze padded over to the straw mat that didn't look used and lay down upon it. Instinctively, he curled his body up tightly, as he and Frost had down every night on the streets to keep warm in the chilly nights, often made colder by the frigid winds sweeping through the city and between the buildings.

His eyes fell once again on the purple dragon who curled up on the straw mat not too far away from his own. He felt he had to say something–anything–that might assuage Spyro's resentment of being the temporary Fire Guardian and being his teacher in the element.

"Spyro?" the male timidly asked. He noticed the purple dragon turn his head to look at him. "I… I know you're hesitant to train me… I know you could never replace Ignitus, could never be Ignitus. No one could. But I'm… I'm sure you can do a great job; you just have to live up to your own standards, and not try to be exactly like Ignitus. Be yourself.

"And… I promise I'll make you proud. I'll work hard to learn. I won't let you down, or anyone else," he stated.

Spyro could only turn his head away from the scarlet male, somewhat annoyed with the dragon's words. He wouldn't make it visibly known however; Blaze was a guest, and would be for some time. The last thing he needed was for himself and his roommate to be at each other's throats. He rolled his violet eyes.

_As if he needed to tell me that. Who does he think he is, the Chronicler? Trying to give me advice as if he knows so much about me…_ he thought. There was still that one part of his mind, however, that insisted on admonishing him for such thoughts. Another voice, as it were.

_Would you stop being so hard on him? He only wants to help, only wants to be kind and show some sort of gesture of friendship. Think; would Ignitus want you to be like this? Depressed and angry with not just him, though that anger is admittedly well-placed, but with others who don't deserve it?_

He had to admit, that other part of his conscience made a valid point. Instead of getting angry with those who were worried, he should be more frustrated with the one who caused these bitter feelings to begin with.

The room soon grew relatively silent as the two dragons succumbed to the sleep that pulled at their eyelids and their minds; the only sound to be heard was the snoring of the golden dragonfly "hidden" in his little niche in the wall.

All was mostly quiet in the temple the next morning when Spyro awoke. He found it odd; usually the Guardians were up and about, and he would always hear their voices. All that he heard were the sounds of Sparx's snoring and the transient, whisper-like breaths of the new roommate that Spyro and Sparx now had. He couldn't help but smile softly at the sheer difference between the sounds.

_At least he's quiet, unlike Sparx. He won't keep me up at night it seems. Now if I could just get Sparx out of here, then maybe I could get a better night's sleep._

Casually he walked toward the door, but stopped when he felt something strange underfoot. It wasn't stone; it had a far different texture to it. Curious, he turned his gaze downward and found a sheet of parchment resting on the ground. Wondering what was written upon the parchment Spyro took his foot of the leaf and looked down at the writing.

**Spyro,**

**The other Guardians and I have gone to rendezvous with Thiriander to meet with the council on yours and Cynder's behalf. We now have the majority power with Thiriander on our side. We'll meet up with you in the evening in the main square. On the table in the main hall there are four piles of gold coins, about two hundred each; one for you, one for Cynder, one for Blaze and one for Frost. It's yours to spend as you please on your day off.**

**We know it's not much, but we hope you enjoy it. It's all we could afford to give; we don't get paid much for our work, and we've been saving up yours and Cynder's pay for a day off where we knew you'd want to have something to use at the various shops. We know you and Cynder plan to get Blaze and Frost cleaned up. But also see what you'd like to get for yourselves and each other. Have a good day.**

**Terrador**

**P.S. Don't let Sparx get near your gold; he'll likely spend it on something trivial. I've seen how he gets around gold.**

Spyro smiled softly as he read the note, a soft chuckle escaping into the air at the postscript. A pang of guilt surged through him; he had been thankless to Terrador last night, had shouted at him, and the emerald dragon was still gracious enough to do this. He would apologize later, of that he was certain.

Gingerly he stepped over to the straw mat upon which the scarlet male lay. His violet eyes fell on the sleeping dragon, and noticed how tightly he had curled in on himself. Blaze's form shuddered occasionally, as if in the biting cold in the streets. But that couldn't be it; the temple was considerably warmer than the streets of Warfang. No, this was likely being caused by an unseen horror; a nightmare.

Spyro gently nudged the dragon and smiled as he saw the shudders come to a halt. He stepped back to give Blaze distance as he awoke, watching the scarlet eyes of the dragon slowly open up.

A yawn escaped Blaze as he uncurled his body, the last dregs of sleep falling away much in the same way a dragon's scales would when growing new ones. He stood from the ground, his legs wobbling a bit; though he had eaten more last night than he had for weeks, the prolonged lack of proper dieting was still taking its toll on his body. His eyes adjusted themselves to the brighter surroundings of the room

"Good morning sleepy head. Have a nice sleep?" the purple male inquired. His head was cocked to the side as he saw the other dragon stay still. He still seemed to be half-asleep, judging by the fact that his eyes were half-lidded. He couldn't help but frown at this.

_I guess he's not used to sleeping on anything but stone floor out in the cold streets. Even if it this is more comfortable, he'll still need time to get used to sleeping in a warmer place. I know I had a bit of trouble adjusting from sleeping on the dirt back in my old home to sleeping on the stone floor of the temple._

The red dragon's eyes opened more fully now as the seconds ticked away. "Sorry… didn't have the best sleep I guess. The temperature was fine it's just…" He turned his head to look at the niche where the snoring dragonfly had made his own lodging. "Who knew someone so small could make so much noise?"

Spyro couldn't help but snicker at this. He was certainly wondering that himself. But he shook his head of the matters. "Terrador left us a note and I'm guessing he left one for the girls. Cynder usually wakes up earlier than I do, so I'm sure she's read her note by now. They're probably waiting for us in the main hall. I'll wake Sparx up and meet you guys down there."

Blaze nodded and padded out the door. A mischievous grin, however, was on his face. He cracked the underside of his tail against the stone floor and was met with the sound of the dragonfly waking up with a shout.

"We're under attack!" Sparx frantically exclaimed as he darted out of the niche. The sound of laughter in two different voices met him, an irritated expression forming on his countenance. "Oh you two are just _mean_! Waking up a dragonfly and making him think that we're under attack. What the heck was that whipping sound anyway?"

"My tail hitting the ground to wake you up," the red male smugly responded. He turned his head back to look at Spyro and Sparx, a wry grin on his face. "Now come on, didn't you say we had to go to the main hall Spyro?"

A silent nod was given by the violet dragon in response. With nothing of further importance to be said the trio headed off to where they were to meet the girls. The dragonfly all the while grumbled a slew of insults under his breath, still annoyed that he had been awoken early.

Cynder and Frost in the meantime had been waiting in the main hall, sitting upon their haunches around the table. The ebony dragoness watched with amusement as her companion looked around the room with awe, despite having been in here for supper the previous evening. "I guess it is pretty big isn't it?"

The pale aqua dragoness nodded in reply. "It is. The only building's interior that I've ever seen so large was the lobby of the governmental building."

Both had a pouch filled with their shares of the gold wrapped around their neck, told that it would be easier to stop any would-be pickpockets or cutpurses, as they would likely see the thief before anything occurred. The sound of footfalls, and of an all too familiar voice complaining incessantly, told them that the boys were on their way.

Sparx was the first to enter and immediately noticed the shining coins upon the table. His eyes widened as he hung in midair, mesmerized by the shine. "Ooh, is that mine?"

"No, one pile is mine and the other is Blaze's. Terrador explicitly wrote in my note not to let you near the gold alone as he knows how you get near it," Spyro quipped.

The two males walked over to the piles, noticing the coins were in a pouch, each one much like the girls were wearing, and a note beside one of the piles. It instructed them to wear the pouches around their neck after pulling the string taut and keeping the coins inside. Without delay they did so, Blaze straining his neck under the weight.

_I really need to get stronger_, he mused.

The four young dragons then looked to each other. They still had to decide what all they would do that day.

"Well, we should travel in a group together. That way it's easier to protect ourselves and each other if we come under attack. Blaze and Frost would be easier targets due to how thin they still are," Cynder pointed out. Her emerald green eyes fell on the two newcomers as she realized just what she implied. "No offense meant you two."

In her mind a thought was forming. It was something that might, hopefully, aid in the dragons' regaining of their physical stamina. It wouldn't be safe to use only that, nor would it be all they need, but it would help; the red crystals. The only problem was that the Guardians had kept the ones in the temple locked away, for use in an emergency. She and Spyro were expressly forbidden from entering that room unless it was a life or death situation.

_Maybe around Warfang. I know there were crystal outgrowths in the city that were free to be used by anyone. And they do regenerate rather quickly._

After further deliberation they set out into the city, their plan for the day made known. They'd all head to what the girls called "beautification" first, mostly to get cleaned up. Of course, this only made two words come to mind for the males: spa day. The dragonfly laughed incessantly at the boys' "predicament" unaware of the fact they didn't mind too much. Afterward the group would walk around the city and see what caught their eye.

There was an area of the city that suited their first needs. But it wasn't exactly cheap. It would be about one hundred coins for each of them to enter; half of their funds. But there was no denying that the four of them needed this to get cleaned; Spyro and Cynder from their work of construction throughout Warfang, and Blaze and Frost from the lives they'd led on the streets for so long. From what Spyro and Cynder heard, this place was incredibly thorough. That was something they were counting on.

The only issue was getting there. It was a good twenty minute walk and the streets were crowded. Any dragons who wished to fly had to have a special permit. Spyro and Cynder had that but, obviously, their two companions did not. This was something that was just a minor setback though. Besides it wouldn't kill them to walk. And if they were lucky they may see some of the red crystal outgrowths littering the city. That would help Blaze and Frost immensely, as both the amethyst- and onyx-scaled dragons knew.

They walked through the city streets, traveling close together. The pouches on their neck shook up and down slightly, the sound of gold moving about was heard only by them; the streets were so condensed and filled with chatter, one would have to be listening for the sound to hear it. And even then it'd be difficult to hear. Their eyes looked cautiously around them, searching for the right corners to turn at, the right streets to take. As they moved they noticed one area, a green courtyard, with three clusters of red crystals. They were in no rush to get to their destination; they had the entire day to themselves. What could it hurt, stopping occasionally for something that could only help the scarlet and pale aqua dragons?

Blaze and Frost walked immediately over to the crystals, looking about them cautiously. They'd never seen these before, only heard about them. Warily they touched a claw to one of the clusters and a warmth surged through them as energy flowed from the crystals into their bodies.

"You have to break it to get the full effect. They have a sort of healing property to them so they can restore your stamina and even a little of your physique," Spyro explained. This finding was certainly a boon. With any luck, and enough crystals, the emaciated look that Blaze and Frost had could be reversed. Not overly muscular or fit, but at least at an average build. It'd take a lot of crystals though. At least twenty more clusters.

The two made short work of the clusters, the red shards flying straight into their bodies where they dissolved on contact. The energy from the crystals filled them, and they felt fitter than they had in the longest time.

The detour came to an end as the four dragons, and their dragonfly tagalong, continued on their way through the city. They were met with stares, mostly directed at Spyro and Cynder. Hushed voices spoke around them, many of them asking why two heroes such as Spyro and Cynder would have two street urchins, one of them a "sexual deviant," in their company.

For Blaze the whispers grew tiresome. Countless times he heard the words "lecher" and "pervert" thrown his way as they walked. Soran and Traea had yet to recant; he was still known as one who tried to violate a dragoness of nobility. And it angered him, the fact that these fools were just sheep flocking to the herd, willing to believe anything without questioning, without asking for proof. His body tensed at the barrage of slurs thrown his way.

They had made it to the main square after a good five minutes of forcing their way through the endless sea of pedestrians. And there, standing in the very center on a raised platform, were Soran and Traea. The red male's vivid scarlet eyes narrowed as they landed on the dragoness. Even knowing that she was going to recant her accusation, he still despised her. She had tried to violate him, and when she was caught, she ruined his reputation. Everywhere he went in the past year he was met by gazes of distrust and contempt. And it was all because of her. He'd never forgive her.

The five pushed their way through the crowd gathered around the platform, standing at the very front. They all lifted their heads to look up at the couple standing above them. And the two took notice of the presence of the young dragons and their glowing companion. They took notice of the ferocity of Blaze's gaze as he leered up at the female, and they swallowed hard.

"Citizens of Warfang… it has been a year and a week since my mate and I were last up here. Back then, we had announced that a young dragon attempted to have his way with Traea. But… as my mate looks back on that incident, she has come to a realization," Soran spoke. The crowd was entranced by the eloquence with which the cyan dragon spoke. He stood back, leaving the floor to Traea.

The silver dragoness stepped forward and cleared her throat. Everyone's attention was drawn to her. "Indeed it is as my mate says. I have been ruminating over the events of the past for a while now. And in retrospect I've come to realize that it was not as I had initially thought it to be. It was an innocent case where he tripped, we rolled along the ground, and I landed atop him. Given the compromising position we were in… I jumped to the wrong conclusion.

"My conclusion led to the ruining of his reputation. Blaze… please come up here; I must say this to your face."

Warily the dragon walked up the steps of the platform and stood before Traea. He looked up at her, his eyes narrowed in contempt. "Well? What do you have to say?"

Traea closed her eyes, a sigh hissing from her mouth into the air. "Blaze… I'm so sorry. I ruined your reputation this past year. I do not deserve any forgiveness from you. But I sincerely apologize."

Blaze huffed at the dragoness' words. "You're right. You don't deserve forgiveness. Do you have any idea what my life has been like since that damning accusation? I was a pariah in this city. I was never able to get a job again. I had to steal to survive, running across the members of the City Guard several times. I'll accept your apology, but I'll never forgive you or your mate."

The dragoness bowed her head. "I can ask no more. I'm… I'm still surprised that you're willing to accept my apology though."

The male didn't answer. He simply walked off of the platform and back to the group. Whispers floated around him in the crowd. They weren't the same insults as earlier, but they weren't exactly changed in their opinion of him. He heard comments such as "vindictive" and "spiteful wretch." He snorted loudly at the dragons who spoke these words. "Try going through what I did for even just one measly week. Then tell me how you'd feel. Would you forgive the one who ruined your reputation? We all have but one name. And when that name is ruined, it's almost impossible to restore it."

The dragons parted around the group of five as they continued on their way to the spa. Everyone remained silent following the scarlet dragon's words. Everyone moved aside to let them be on their way.

In a shadowy alleyway stood a solitary figure; all that could be seen of the figure were bright golden eyes. A fleeting movement was made in the dark environment, and a large amorphous substance appeared in the air, beckoned by magic. A single pair of golden, reptilian-slitted eyes could be seen in that magical cloud.

"You wished to speak to me master?" the figure spoke. The voice was feminine, soft and hollow; devoid of any emotion whatsoever.

"Yes. I wished to tell you that you may begin the plan in two weeks' time. Do not fail me." The voice that came from the cloud was ominous, and one that would be familiar to those who had heard it before, namely the Guardians, Spyro and Cynder.

"Yes Malefor."


	10. Chapter 9

The young dragons soon came to the entrance of their destination. Sparx, hovering about them as always, couldn't help but snicker.

"Have fun with your 'spa day,' I'm going to go see if there's anything to eat. I'm sure there are butterflies fluttering about this city somewhere," the glowing insect said. He flitted off into the city, cackling as he did so.

The four dragons all let out a sigh of relief. A break from the dragonfly would do everyone good.

"Well would you look at that? The spa has already relieved some stress; it got rid of Sparx for us," Frost jested. A giggle escaped her, joined immediately by the laughter of the other three. At least she could make the others laugh with a joke. It started to break down some of the walls in her mind, walls made by insecurity.

The past twelve years were far from kind; having no one adopt you, even when living on the streets, could have a devastating impact on the mind of an eight year old, and that impact could easily continue to affect an individual for years to come.

The four strolled inside, to be met with enthusiastic greetings from men and women of different species. There were dragons and dragonesses inside, but also cheetahs, moles, wolves, fauns and rabbits. A male faun walked over to the group. His frame was sturdy and lean. Not overly muscular or incredibly thin either. It was more of a balance.

"Welcome! It's so good to see new customers come to our facilities. And two of them are so well known too! Please, right this way. We'll show you our packages. And for you four, a special discount. It's not every day that the protectors of this world walk into our spa," he stated. Before anything could be said by the dragons he walked off, beckoning them to follow him.

Spyro, Cynder, Blaze and Frost simply shrugged. Who were they to complain? He certainly was enthusiastic, but Volteer still put him to shame. Their paws padded along the ground as they walked after the faun. They looked around them, several of the other employees staring after them, along with other patrons. Daggers were in the eyes of patrons as they fell upon the scarlet male. It made Blaze uncomfortable, and he lowered his head to stare at the floor.

His head was lifted up, however, at the feeling of the pale aqua dragoness beside him rubbing her cheek against his.

"Pay them no mind. They're just fools who believe anything they're told," she whispered reassuringly. A grin lit upon Frost's face as she saw Blaze smile at her gesture. She loved having this effect on him; the effect of brightening up his mood when gloom attempted to sink its claws into his heart. She was surprised that he hadn't slipped into full-blown depression in their time on the streets.

_Or maybe he has and isn't telling me? But then, if that were true, how is it he was able to keep himself optimistic? Is that all just bravado?_

She shook her head free of these thoughts. _It can't be. If he had any issues he'd tell me. He told me he would. We promised each other that we would four years ago, when we first become a couple. No secrets from each other; that was what we said. That was our vow._

Onward they continued through the complex. Other patrons continued to shoot glares in the direction of the scarlet male. Hatred was filling their eyes. Not even the retaliatory glares directed at them by the purple and ebony dragons leading the train could dispel the loathing in their eyes completely, though it diluted it somewhat with the shock that these two heroes were defending a mere urchin.

Regardless, the workers at the spa were more than civil. They were very courteous, even to one who was hated by the populace. After all he was still a paying customer, and this was a business. There were some who eyed Blaze carefully, though their attention seemed to be focused on his face. Especially on his chin and what was under it. They seemed to be looking at the frills, almost like fur on an animal.

It seemed so familiar to Spyro and Cynder, but they couldn't put it to a face at the moment.

The spa workers looked at these features with interest, seeming as if they wished to clip them. That could come in the future, after cleaning and other pampering. One stepped forward, a female cheetah with fur a rich golden hue and bright eyes of a similar color. "Right, how will we separate the four of you? Into couples, or will we have the males together and the females together? It's up to you, of course."

Spyro pondered over the question they were posed. They had been told last night that the males and females were to stay in separate rooms during the night. The only question was this: did it apply here as well? He didn't see why it would but then he didn't know just how extensive the treatment here would be. His violet eyes were turned to the ebony-scaled dragoness beside him. "What do you think Cyn?"

The dragoness' polished black scales shone as they caught the light inside the room when she shifted about slightly. Her emerald green eyes looked down at the ground. She herself was pondering the choices that they were offered.

_It'd be good to get to spend time with Spyro, but I could also get to know my new roommate better. Of course, there will plenty of time for the latter._

A sigh escaped her lips; she had her answer. "I think it'll be where Spyro and I are together, and Blaze and Frost as another couple are in a session."

The cheetah nodded in response to Cynder's request. "All right then. Spyro and Cynder, if you'll follow me please, I'll take you to the room. Another worker will join me to tend to the other. Usually it's a female who tends to the males and a male who tends to the females." Her golden eyes cast themselves to the other couple.

"You two will be attended to by two of our other workers. You have the more extensive package, including scale cleaning and polishing, claw sharpening and buffing, and some trimming for the male in terms of what's under his chin."

The scarlet dragon shook his head vigorously at the statement tossed his way by the woman. "Oh no, you're not trimming it. I like having this under my jaw." His eyes were focused on the cheetah; he was not enthused by the idea of getting what other species had called a "goatee" trimmed. He stepped backward away from the spa workers. "I'm all for the cleaning, polishing, buffing and all that, but this is off limits."

The pale aqua female beside him nodded in agreement. "I like it too. Cleaning is fine but please don't cut it."

Her bright cerulean eyes looked off to her right as the sound of heavy footfalls reached her. From the short spacing between the steps and the pace it was going it, much like a prestissimo tempo in a song, it was clear someone was running through the walls. And as the sound grew louder it became obvious that they were running this way.

"Who could that be?"

Her question was answered as a yellow mass rounded the corner. The four young dragons winced, their eyes clenched shut, as the sound of claws scraping over the stone ground reached them. Whoever it was they were skidding through the halls out of control, screaming like a banshee.

"No! No you are not trimming my beard. I am not having a baby face," the dragon cried out.

Hot on his heels were three employees of the spa. He was running as if they were demons come up from the core of the world. His panicked gait brought him out of control; he was barreling toward the scarlet male with no signs of being able to stop.

Blaze couldn't help but scream out in dismay, shock and pain as the yellow dragon crashed into him. The full force of the other's weight, combined with the momentum he had picked up, sent the slight male rolling a good distance down the hall and into the wall some twenty feet behind him. A pained groan slipped past his lips.

"Great, a canary yellow cannonball… just what I needed at the spa to relax," he sardonically said.

The new dragon shook his head, somewhat dazed by the impact. "What the heck was that? Felt like I hit a wall… made of relatively flimsy wood. But it still hurt!"

His bright blue eyes eventually focused on the form of the emaciated scarlet dragon he had inadvertently knocked into the stone wall. His gunmetal grey scutes rose and fell as he attempted to catch his breath, a bit worn out from the sprint.

"Sorry! Didn't know there was someone in my path! I'm really, really sorry. I didn't see you there."

Blaze slowly stood up, sharply sucking in air in a pained gasp. "Oh lovely… think I cracked a rib or two there." As he gained his ground his eyes fluttered as pain surged through his body.

It didn't come from his sides though. Rather, it came from his head. "Okay, I stand corrected. Make that a concussion. Charming."

His bright scarlet eyes focused on the dragon who had crashed into him as the clarity started to improve after a few seconds' time. He couldn't help but stare at the one who so unceremoniously sent him into a wall. "Okay so… care to explain why you were running through the halls and crashed into me? And who are you exactly, if I might ask?"

The other dragon sighed as a first response to the inquiries that the red-scaled male directed at him. It seemed rather silly to be running through a spa, after all. His face was flushed crimson with embarrassment as the recent events became clearer to his mind as the fog of panic lifted away from his being.

"Right… I'll answer the second question first. My name's Vheissu. Again, really sorry about! I was running from the employees here.

"They wanted to shave me. I kept telling them that no one touches the beard but my mate. Guess they don't understand the meaning of the words 'No touchy,'" the yellow dragon remarked.

His blue eyes remained focused on the male he collided with. As he stared he gauged the age of the dragon. _Two years younger. I can tell by the frame, but the face is so different. It looks aged… did stress do that? He has such a slight frame. Thinner even than Cynder. _His eyes solemnly concealed themselves behind their yellow curtains.

Blaze couldn't help but let out a laugh at the words of the newcomer. The way this Vheissu spoke was… amusing. It wasn't innocence though it certainly sounded like it. As he thought more of this person the more intrigued the young male became. There was a mischievous air around the yellow dragon. Vheissu reminded him of himself, now that he thought of it.

"Funny. We were in the same situation then. These people said they wanted to clip me as well. Not something I wanted either." He spoke so calmly, despite having been knocked down a hall.

Four came around the corner within the next few seconds; the three employees who had been chasing Vheissu and another dragoness. The appearance of the dragoness however left everyone in the group stunned. She looked so much like the ebony dragoness among the four young dragons one could think they were mother and daughter. Polished scales of ebony, horns of treated ivory and bright emerald green eyes were all features that this female possessed. A major difference was the presence of violet frills going down her body as opposed to the spikes that would go partially down her neck. Her figure was also fuller than the younger dragoness' and her secondary colours were more of a magenta compared to Cynder's amaranth colour.

None was more surprised however than Cynder. To see someone who looked so similar to her was baffling.

_But this can't possibly be my mother; I was told that my mother was a dragoness with white scales and a silver secondary color. So who is this dragoness?_ It was mind-boggling.

"I'm sorry but… who are you? You look so much like me." Her question came in a soft voice, filled with uncertainty and wonderment.

The question brought Vheissu's attention back to reality. His blue eyes snapped open immediately and brought themselves to fall on the young onyx-scaled female. His eyes roamed over her features. He too was stunned.

"Whoa! You look just like my mate. How in the world? I mean, she and I haven't had children, and she's only… twenty-seven. You're only seven years younger than her."

The older dragoness could only laugh at the bewilderment that flashed across everyone's faces. Her emerald green eyes glowed with mirth as she listened to the exclamations of the yellow dragon standing only a few feet before her and to the question posed by the world's heroine.

"My name's Feuriah. As for why I look like you that is a curiosity. I'm not related to you that I know of. Maybe it's just a coincidence?"

Her gaze fell on Vheissu and a sigh of exasperation hissed into the air. "But darn it V what possessed you to run through the halls like that? Just calmly tell them you don't want it shorn off. That's it, no need to make a big show out of it.

"And you gave this guy a concussion from what I can tell. I can see blood on the side of his head. What a bother. It looks like you're not getting any tonight," Feuriah stated.

The yellow dragon groaned in disappointment in response to his mate's statement. The penalty she threatened to impose was a harsh one. For him it was, at least.

"Oh now that's just mean Feu. And you can't resist it all day you know." He chuckled as his hips swiveled playfully.

"That all depends on whether or not you're up to listening to what others say and behaving. Besides, it's tough love." Her voice was lilting, teasing even.

The banter between the two came to an end there. All assembled looked to the employees of the spa. All save Cynder; she looked instead to the ebony dragoness.

"I… have another question. Do you know either Volteer or a dragoness by the name of Aria?"

Feuriah shuffled about as the words the other dragoness reached her. Both names were familiar to her; one more familiar than the other. Just about every adult dragon has heard those names. One was still alive, and the Electric Guardian no less. His name was the most familiar to her. The other was also familiar, revered as a hero, killed during the war. Her death was a casualty that hit their species especially hard.

"I know one personally, the other only by name. I know Volteer personally. Not as a friend, or as an acquaintance. Something much closer; we're kin. To be specific he's my older brother."

"Brother? But… but you must be twenty years younger than him!" Spyro said. He was dumbfounded; they all were save Vheissu. He seemed calm. He must have known beforehand.

Spyro's mouth hung agape. Volteer had a sister? And he never told anyone?

"Dragons can live for centuries, young dragon. And have children for far longer than most other species, if not all others."

Words had been failing Cynder following this revelation by the other dragoness. Feuriah claimed that she was Volteer's younger sister.

_If that is true, then that would mean that this female is related to me as well. That would mean that…_

"Then… you're my family as well. You're… my aunt." She finally found her voice to say that to her.

The surprise that had filled the other young dragons now transferred to the two adults. Both stared at the younger ebony dragoness, bewildered. Volteer had a child? But for so long, even he had said that his child with Aria surely had died the night of the raid. Probability had been against his child having survived; only two eggs had survived the night, with two having been adopted a week before that fateful night.

"I… have a niece?"

"Well, isn't this quite the shocker for them?"

The periwinkle dragon chuckled as he observed the events. Luckily this sanctuary had come with a vision pool. Rather it appeared for him, one of the few dragons who had the ability to see visions through the magical reflecting surface. Perhaps his predecessor didn't possess the innate ability and that was why there was no vision pool to be found. His teal eyes closed as a warm smile stretched his scarred lips. "Cynder now has another relative. Not a mother, but perhaps someone who might become a motherly figure. That is, of course, if Feuriah believes her."

Casually he stepped away from the vision pool. His joints cracked as he began to move about. _Gracious, I feel like I'm even older as the Chronicler than I did when I was alive. And here I heard that death was supposed to make one feel younger._

Quietly he began to walk through his new home. His footsteps made almost no sound. They were so quiet, not that it would make any difference if his footfalls were actually loud; he was the only one here. No one else would be able to hear except him. He still had one goal in mind; find the missing parts of four different books: his own, Spyro's, Blaze's and, most importantly, Malefor's.

_They must be around here somewhere. I just need to look carefully._


End file.
